Screen Reader Automation

An automated solution that seamlessly adds screen reader checks to your existing functional tests.

Using Screen Reader Automation for Android, you can programmatically control screen reader interactions, capture screen reader output, and validate accessibility directly within your test scripts. You can seamlessly integrate accessibility testing into your existing functional tests and CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that your app meets accessibility standards without slowing down development cycles.

The following video provides an overview of BrowserStack’s Screen Reader Automation for Android:

Why screen reader testing is important

Screen readers are essential tools for users who rely on assistive technologies to navigate and interact with mobile applications. They convert text and UI elements into speech, enabling visually impaired users to navigate app interfaces, access content, and use various app functionalities. Ensuring that your app is compatible with screen readers is crucial for providing an inclusive user experience and meeting accessibility standards.

Challenges with traditional screen reader testing

Traditional screen reader testing methods are often inadequate for modern development practices. They have several limitations that can lead to accessibility issues being overlooked or skipped entirely, especially in fast-paced development cycles.

• Manual screen reader testing limitations:
  • Slow, repetitive, and hard to scale.
  • Prone to human error and inconsistent results.
  • Can bottleneck fast-paced development cycles because of the time required to manually test each screen reader interaction.
• Static checks limitations:
  • Cannot simulate real user experience.
  • Miss variations in screen readers across OS, screen reader versions, and settings.

How screen reader automation helps

Automating screen reader testing mitigates traditional screen reader testing challenges by allowing you to:

• Simulate screen reader gestures: Simulate gestures such as TalkBack swipe and double-tap, to replicate real user navigation flows.
• Capture screen reader output: Capture speech output as plain text. This allows you to verify that the screen reader announces UI elements correctly, including buttons, text fields, and other interactive components.
• Verify accessibility metadata: Verify whether accessibility metadata is included, including labels, roles, and the order in which elements are announced.
• Run assertions: Programmatically verify whether all elements contain accessibility metadata, and whether the metadata and the screen reader’s spoken output matches your expected accessibility labels or focus order.
• Integrate into CI pipelines: Integrate directly into functional tests and CI pipelines to run accessibility checks continuously.
• Save screen reader output for offline review: Capture and save the screen reader’s spoken output in a file to review accessibility results offline.
• Scale testing: Scale accessibility testing across devices and screen reader configurations.