Five Common Accessibility Issues found in Mobile Apps

As mobile apps become central to banking, shopping, healthcare, transport, and communication, inaccessible design creates immediate barriers for millions of users who rely on assistive technologies such as screen readers (e.g. VoiceOver and TalkBack), screen magnification, voice control, and switch devices.

Despite this increase in mobile app usage, many apps still do not meet accessibility requirements. ArcTouch’s 2025 State of Mobile App Accessibility Report found that 72% of tested mobile app user journeys resulted in a ‘poor’ or ‘failing’ accessibility experience, meaning many users with disability encountered significant barriers using these apps or completing tasks.

This article highlights the most common accessibility issues in mobile app design and development, along with key considerations when creating accessible mobile experiences.

Poorly Labelled Interactive Elements

Interactive elements such as buttons, links, form controls, and custom widgets must have clear, meaningful accessible names so screen readers and other assistive technologies can accurately convey their purpose.

The ArcTouch report found that only 22.2% of screens tested had clear and complete naming for on-screen elements, meaning nearly four in five screens had labelling issues.

When designing and developing mobile apps, ensure the accessible name matches or contains the visible text label. Where a visible label exists, the accessible name is typically derived from the element’s text content (e.g. the text on a button). Platform properties such as accessibilityLabel (iOS) and contentDescription (Android) can also be used to provide accessible names where appropriate.

Tip: Always test interactive elements using VoiceOver and TalkBack, not just rely on visual inspection of the element.

Text Scaling Issues 

Users with low vision often increase text size through device settings. If your app layout breaks when text scales, users may lose access to content or controls.

Font scaling was found to be consistently under-supported, with scores ranging from 31 to 52 out of 100. Shopping apps scored just 31/100, while fitness apps scored only 35/100.

In mobile app development, to ensure text can be scaled correctly, use Scale-independent Pixels on Android and Dynamic Type on iOS.

Tip: Test at maximum text size settings on both iOS and Android devices.

Lack of Orientation Support

Many people rely on a specific screen orientation for different reasons. For example, landscape mode can improve readability when using magnification, and some devices may be mounted in fixed positions that prevent rotation.

Orientation was the weakest area across the entire survey, with 94% of app journeys failing to support orientation changes. In Food & Delivery, no app tested supported orientation functionality.

In app development, ensure the app does not restrict orientation and supports both portrait and landscape modes.

Focus Order Issues

An engaging visual layout means little if screen reader navigation is confusing or illogical. People using assistive technologies rely on focus moving in a logical order, so content is announced in a way that makes sense. When focus jumps unpredictably, tasks become difficult or impossible to complete.

The report found many apps had focus order issues. In shopping apps, for example, 77.8% of screens had problems with focus order.

Focus order in mobile apps is controlled through the underlying view hierarchy and accessibility properties. Elements should be structured logically in the code and, where needed, adjusted using platform-specific tools such as accessibility traversal order, grouping, or properties like accessibilityElements (iOS) and importantForAccessibility (Android) to include or exclude elements from the focus order. These techniques ensure screen readers and other assistive technologies follow the intended sequence of elements on a screen.

Tip: Navigate through every screen with VoiceOver and TalkBack to confirm the order of elements makes sense.

User Journeys Not Fully Tested

An app might seem accessible when reviewing individual screens, but real issues often emerge when people try to complete end-to-end tasks such as placing an order, making a payment, signing up, or checking out.

The survey found that 72% of full user journeys resulted in poor or failing experiences. This highlights a critical point, testing isolated components is not enough. Accessibility must be considered across the entire journey.

If even one step in a process is inaccessible, it can prevent people from completing the task altogether, regardless of how accessible the rest of the experience may be.

Tip: Always test full workflows from start to finish, not just standalone screens.

Applying Accessibility to Mobile Apps

The most effective mobile apps embed accessibility throughout the entire development lifecycle, from design systems through to implementation and QA testing.

When accessibility is not considered from the outset, it often becomes an afterthought that needs to be retrofitted later. This approach is typically slower, more costly, and far less effective than building accessibility in from the start.

Our Mobile App Accessibility Training helps teams learn how to apply WCAG 2.2 to real iOS and Android apps, including:

• using mobile screen readers VoiceOver and TalkBack
• mobile-specific WCAG requirements
• built-in accessibility features on iOS and Android
• practical remediation techniques for developers, testers, and designers.

Join us for our upcoming session of Mobile App Accessibility training starting 13 May. Spaces are limited.