Tvos Accessibility Audit

tvOS Accessibility Audit

Overview

Accessibility on Apple TV is largely about legibility, predictable focus, and media accessibility. Audit the experience like a living-room product, not like a handheld app.

Workflow

1. Audit focus order and discoverability:
   • can every interactive element be reached?
   • does focus move predictably?
   • is default focus sensible?
2. Audit distance legibility:
   • readable typography
   • concise copy
   • adequate spacing and contrast
3. Audit motion and transparency:
   • reduced motion
   • reduced transparency
   • custom effects that interfere with system accessibility settings
4. Audit media accessibility:
   • captions and subtitles
   • alternate audio where the product expects it
   • now-playing and playback controls that remain understandable under focus
5. Audit assistive labels and semantics:
   • VoiceOver labels
   • icon-only controls with accessible labels
   • meaningful section titles and button names

Strong defaults

• Favor system controls and system focus effects.
• Keep text large, scannable, and brief. Apple guidance for tvOS accessibility cites 29 pt as a default size and 23 pt as a minimum.
• Provide accessibility labels for icon-only controls.
• Keep captions and subtitle affordances easy to reach.
• Test custom animations and translucent surfaces with reduced-motion and reduced-transparency settings.

Anti-patterns

• Small, dense text copied from phone or tablet UI
• Long focus chains through low-value controls
• Icon-only controls without accessible labels
• Custom motion or glass effects that ignore accessibility settings
• Player or search surfaces whose key actions are not obvious under focus

References

• references/focus-accessibility-checklist.md
• references/media-accessibility-checklist.md
• In addition to the references above, use web search to consult current Apple Developer documentation when tvOS accessibility guidance or platform behavior may have changed.