App largely unusable with VoiceOver/TalkBack screen readers
Category: Bugs Priority: P1 Severity: major Area: accessibility Reports: 7 Status: Open
Summary
Seven blind users on both iOS and Android report the app is largely incompatible with screen readers. Most buttons — send, chat list, incognito, "more", and the answer-action buttons — have no accessibility labels, so VoiceOver/TalkBack reads out symbols or nothing at all; the VoiceOver cursor also jumps around. Two blockers go beyond labels: with a screen reader enabled, conversations in the chat list can be read as titles but cannot be opened at all (Android), and after an answer's results appear, the cited references/sources cannot be reached (iPhone) — undermining Qaf's core source-verification value for blind users. The most detailed report comes from Mahmoud Al-Harouni, a blind Android user who wrote a long, structured audit with concrete fixes (contentDescription on every control, testing with TalkBack and Jieshuo); internally Rahma flagged it with "he's a blind man and wrote this. Masha'Allah you need to take it seriously." Multiple users plead for 100% screen-reader compatibility; Abdellatif replied to all seven threads saying labels and fixes are in progress.
What users say
Samir Tayakout samirtayakout03@gmail.com
- Date: 2026-08-20 | Language: Arabic | Thread:
1a01fca51cc9e8d6| Replied: yes
One-line report that many Android buttons are unlabeled and unread by the screen reader. Abdellatif replied labels are being added now.
هناك أزرار كثيرة غير مصنّفة ولا يقرأها قارئ الشاشة على نظام أندرويد.
There are many unlabeled buttons that the screen reader on Android does not read.
Hussein Hussein (حسين حسين) h7u7ss77@gmail.com
- Date: 2026-08-18 | Language: Arabic | Thread:
1a0147234f32bc4f| Replied: yes
Blind user from Yemen who studies shar'i and university coursework with AI help; pleads for the app to be made compatible with screen readers because unlabeled buttons read as symbols.
هناك أزرارًا غير مُسمّاة كزر إرسال الرسالة وغيرها من الأزرار، فعندما ألمس الشاشة يقرأ لي رموزًا
There are unlabeled buttons, like the send-message button and others; when I touch the screen it reads me symbols.
Abu Al-Hasan (أبو الحسن) riyaad.2000@gmail.com
- Date: 2026-08-18 | Language: Arabic | Thread:
1a0132c7e05c0913| Replied: yes
Resend (unintentional duplicate, he later apologized) of his 2026-08-17 report: the app is incompatible with iPhone screen readers, specifically the cited references/sources cannot be reached after results appear.
البرنامج غير متوافق مع مستخدمي قارئ الشاشة للمكفوفين على الآيفون وأعني بذلك على سبيل الخصوص عدم الإمكانية للوصول الى المراجع والمصادر فبعد خروج النتائج لا اتمكن من الوصول الى المصدر
The app is not compatible with blind users' screen readers on iPhone — I mean specifically the inability to reach the references and sources; after the results come out I cannot reach the source.
Abu Al-Hasan (أبو الحسن) riyaad.2000@gmail.com
- Date: 2026-08-17 | Language: Arabic | Thread:
1a00d9468a1e021b| Replied: yes
Original report of the same issue (same text as above). Abdellatif acknowledged the sources-unreachable problem as known and said a fix is coming in a near update; the user thanked him for the fast reply.
فبعد خروج النتائج لا اتمكن من الوصول الى المصدر
After the results come out I cannot reach the source.
badr470035 badr470035@gmail.com
- Date: 2026-08-14 | Language: Arabic | Thread:
19ffd0955ddd4a85| Replied: yes
Downloaded the app on iPhone; reports it is not at all compatible with VoiceOver because most buttons are unspoken, and asks for full VoiceOver compatibility.
التطبيق غير متوافق تماما مع قارئ الشاشة الفويس أوفر الخاص بالمكفوفين ؛ فمعظم الأزرار الموجودة في التطبيق غير منطوقة فنطلب منكم جعل هذا التطبيق متوافق بالكامل مع الفويس أوفر
The app is not at all compatible with the VoiceOver screen reader for the blind; most of the buttons in the app are not spoken. We ask you to make this app fully compatible with VoiceOver.
Ali Hussein Al-Marfadi (علي حسين المرفدي) www.ali444555@gmail.com
- Date: 2026-08-14 | Language: Arabic | Thread:
19ffd156cc20cc4f| Replied: yes
Loves the app idea but: many buttons unspoken and the VoiceOver cursor jumps; asks for an update with 100% VoiceOver compatibility. Abdellatif replied that button labeling and the cursor-jumping fix are in progress.
التطبيق في كثير من الأزرار غير منطوق وكذلك المؤشر يقفز نتمنى تطلق تحديث يتوافق مع قارئ الشاشة VoiceOver بشكل 100%
Many of the app's buttons are not spoken and the cursor jumps; we hope you release an update 100% compatible with the VoiceOver screen reader.
Mahmoud bin Ahmed Al-Harouni (محمود بن احمد الهاروني) mahmoudahmedz967@gmail.com
- Date: 2026-08-13 | Language: Arabic | Thread:
19ffb07ea436d4f5| Replied: yes (forwarded internally)
Blind Android user relying on TalkBack/Jieshuo; sent a long structured letter (thanks, then bugs, then roadmap suggestions). Two accessibility failures: (1) unlabeled buttons — send, chat list, incognito browsing, "more", and the answer-action buttons — none announce a name or function; (2) more critically, with the screen reader enabled a conversation's title can be read but the conversation cannot be opened at all, while with the reader off it opens normally. He proposes adding contentDescription to every control and testing with TalkBack and Jieshuo.
عند تفعيل قارئ الشاشة، يستطيع القارئ قراءة عنوان المحادثة فقط، لكنه لا يتيح الدخول إلى المحادثة أو فتحها بصورة طبيعية. أما عند إيقاف قارئ الشاشة، فيمكن الدخول إلى المحادثة بصورة طبيعية.
When the screen reader is enabled, it can only read the conversation title but does not allow entering or opening the conversation normally. When the screen reader is turned off, the conversation can be entered normally.
Details / repro
- Platforms: iOS/VoiceOver (
1a0132c7e05c0913,1a00d9468a1e021b,19ffd0955ddd4a85,19ffd156cc20cc4f) and Android/TalkBack + Jieshuo (1a01fca51cc9e8d6,19ffb07ea436d4f5); one unspecified (1a0147234f32bc4f). - Unlabeled controls explicitly enumerated (Mahmoud): send button, chat-list button, incognito-browsing button, "more" button, and the action buttons attached to generated answers. VoiceOver reads raw symbols for these.
- Repro (Android, Mahmoud): enable TalkBack or Jieshuo → open chat list → titles are announced but conversation rows are not exposed as tappable/interactive elements, so chats cannot be opened; disable the reader and they open fine. Suggested fix: mark the row as a clickable/interactive element for accessibility, not plain text.
- Repro (iPhone, Abu Al-Hasan): ask a question → answer with references renders → VoiceOver cannot navigate to the sources/references section at all.
- Additional symptom: VoiceOver cursor/focus jumps around unpredictably (
19ffd156cc20cc4f). - Suggested engineering fix from users: contentDescription / accessibility labels on all buttons, verified with TalkBack and Jieshuo (and VoiceOver on iOS).
Threads
1a01fca51cc9e8d6— Many unlabeled buttons unread by Android screen reader (Samir Tayakout)1a0147234f32bc4f— Send button and others unlabeled; reader speaks symbols (Hussein Hussein, Yemen)1a0132c7e05c0913— VoiceOver cannot reach sources/references after results — resend (Abu Al-Hasan)1a00d9468a1e021b— VoiceOver cannot reach sources/references after results — original (Abu Al-Hasan)19ffd0955ddd4a85— Most iOS buttons unspoken by VoiceOver (badr470035)19ffd156cc20cc4f— Unspoken buttons + jumping VoiceOver cursor; asks 100% compatibility (Ali Al-Marfadi)19ffb07ea436d4f5— Full accessibility audit: unlabeled buttons + chats unopenable with reader on (Mahmoud Al-Harouni)