VoiceOver: People with visual impairments complain about problems in iOS 26
With the screen reader built into iOS, you can use iPhones almost perfectly if you have poor eyesight. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with iOS 26.
VoiceOver users: Apple is often praised for its accessibility features.
(Image: Apple)
Apple has acknowledged bugs in iOS 26 that can cause the popular VoiceOver feature to fail. The screen reader feature is used in particular by visually impaired people, but is also becoming increasingly popular among people without disabilities because it allows the iPhone to be controlled without looking at it. However, after installing iOS 26, voice output may no longer work. This happens on the lock screen and after restarting the device – i.e. when biometrics cannot be used and you have to enter the device PIN.
VoiceOver suddenly disappears after restart
This practically locks visually impaired people out of the device. In addition to the iPhone, there are also reports of problems with the iPad with iPadOS 26, writes the well-known website AppleVis, which collects resources for visually impaired people with Apple devices. However, it is currently impossible to say whether the error has to do with the model of the iPhone or iPad, previously installed software or hardware enhancements in the accessibility area. It is not regularly traceable –, which the AppleVis team itself has not yet experienced.
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So far, it has been reported that VoiceOver fails immediately after installing iOS 26, but sometimes only after a reboot after some time. It has also happened that VoiceOver simply turned off after the update – This is also extremely annoying because, as a visually impaired person, you may need help from a sighted person. In addition, VoiceOver is often active again normally after unlocking. There seems to be a connection with the update, as the error no longer seems to occur even after repeated reboots. Of course, this doesn't help much if you are initially locked out.
Update should help – but when?
Currently, there is no direct remedy – except to disable biometrics and device PIN before restarting so that you can bypass the lock screen. However, this is not ideal from a security standpoint and should be corrected immediately after a successful reboot (and VoiceOver is active again). Finally, there are reports of success after deleting the device via "Find My," but this takes a long time and you must have a backup ready beforehand so you don't lose any data.
According to AppleVis, Apple has since contacted the site and confirmed that it is aware of the issue. It will be fixed in an upcoming software update. It is currently unclear how long this will take. However, iOS 26.0.1 appears to be in the works at Apple. It should also fix a camera issue related to the iPhone Air, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max.
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