Auto-generate screen reader accessibility reports

Automatically generate comprehensive screen reader accessibility reports to help you understand how native screen readers interpret your app’s user interface.

When conducting automated App Accessibility tests on your app, you can generate a screen reader accessibility report to evaluate how native screen readers interpret and navigate through your app’s user interface.

The report includes detailed insights such as the screen reader’s spoken output, the focus order of the UI elements, and relevant accessibility metadata. These insights help you identify and fix potential barriers for users who rely on screen readers or other assistive technologies.

Supported apps

You can generate screen reader accessibility reports for the following app types:

How screen reader reports help

Screen reader reports improve your app’s accessibility by providing the following insights:

• Automated report generation: Integrates seamlessly into your test automation runs, enabling continuous accessibility checks across builds.
• Focus checks: Ensures that all relevant elements receive focus during screen reader navigation.
• Spoken output checks: Verifies that the screen reader’s spoken output for each element is accurate and meaningful.
• Reading order checks: Verifies that the screen reader follows a logical order when reading elements.
• Accessibility metadata verification: Confirms that all UI elements expose correct labels, roles, and states to assistive technologies.

Generate a screen reader report on BrowserStack App Accessibility testing

To generate a screen reader report during an App Accessibility testing session:

...
accessibility: true                 # Enable accessibility testing.
accessibilityOptions:
  screenReaderAutomation:
    autoReport: true                # Enable report generation
    linearNavigation: true          # Optional: Enable linear navigation (default: false)
    linearNavigationTimeout: 300000 # Optional: Set timeout in ms (default: 300000)
...

...
services: [
  ['browserstack', {
    ...
    accessibility: true,                 // Enable accessibility testing.
    accessibilityOptions: {
      screenReaderAutomation: {
        autoReport: true,                // Enable report generation
        linearNavigation: true,          // Optional: Enable linear navigation (default: false)
        linearNavigationTimeout: 300000  // Optional: Set timeout in ms (default: 300000)
      }
    }
    ...
  }]
]
...

curl -u "USERNAME:ACCESS_KEY" \
-X POST "https://api-cloud.browserstack.com/app-automate/espresso/v2/build" \
-d '{
    "app": "bs://$app_id",
    "testSuite": "bs://$test_suite_id",
    "devices": ["Samsung S24-14.0", "Google Pixel 8-14.0", "Samsung S21-11.0"],
    "deviceLogs": true,
    "project": "$PROJECT_NAME",
    "accessibility": true,
    "accessibilityOptions": {
        "screenReaderAutomation": {
            "autoReport": true,
            "linearNavigation": true,
            "linearNavigationTimeout": 300000
        }
    }
}' \
-H "Content-Type: application/json"

Coverage modes

Screen reader accessibility reports can be generated in two modes:

• Standard mode (default): Captures elements visible in the initial viewport. This mode is ideal for quick accessibility checks in CI/CD pipelines, screens with minimal scrolling, and rapid iterative testing during development. Set linearNavigation: false or exclude the parameter to use standard mode.
• Linear navigation mode: Captures the complete screen reader traversal path, including elements in scrollable containers, carousels, and off-screen content. This mode replicates the full experience of a screen reader user navigating through your app and provides complete coverage. Use this mode for comprehensive accessibility validation before release, screens with infinite scroll or long lists, and complete traversal verification matching real user experience. Set linearNavigation: true to enable linear navigation mode.

The following table compares the two modes to help you choose the right one for your testing requirements:

Linear navigation timeout

The linearNavigationTimeout parameter controls the maximum time allowed for the screen reader automation to traverse and capture elements during a single linear navigation session. This applies only when linear navigation mode is enabled and is particularly important for screens with extensive scrollable content.

Screen reader report checks

Screen reader automation performs the following accessibility checks on your app’s user interface: