rshankras/assistive-access

Assistive Access

Guide for implementing Assistive Access support in iOS and iPadOS apps. Assistive Access (iOS 17+/iPadOS 17+) provides a streamlined system experience for people with cognitive disabilities, presenting simplified interfaces with large controls and reduced complexity.

When This Skill Activates

• User wants to add Assistive Access support to their app
• User asks about cognitive accessibility or simplified interfaces
• User mentions AssistiveAccess, UISupportsAssistiveAccess, or assistive access scenes
• User needs runtime detection of Assistive Access mode
• User is reviewing accessibility compliance for cognitive disabilities
• User asks about .assistiveAccessNavigationIcon

Setup

The Three Integration Levels (WWDC25 238)

• No adoption: the app runs in a reduced frame to leave room for the system back button always shown along the bottom (back returns to the Assistive Access Home Screen). The reduced frame keeps apps built for specific device sizes rendering correctly.
• Full screen as-is (UISupportsFullScreenInAssistiveAccess): for apps already designed for cognitive accessibility — AAC apps and similar tools. The app looks identical to normal, just full-screen; requires layout that adapts to arbitrary sizes.
• AssistiveAccess scene (UISupportsAssistiveAccess + the scene below, iOS 26/ iPadOS 26): a tailored experience where native controls automatically render in the large, prominent Assistive Access style and follow the user's grid-or-rows layout setting. Recommended when unsure (WWDC25 238).

The Assistive Access mode itself shipped with iOS 17; the AssistiveAccess scene type, UISupportsAssistiveAccess key, and .assistiveAccess preview trait are iOS 26 APIs.

Step 1: Declare Support in Info.plist

Add these keys to your app's Info.plist so the system lists your app as an "Optimized App" in Assistive Access configuration:

<key>UISupportsAssistiveAccess</key>
<true/>

For AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) apps or similar tools that need full-screen presentation:

<key>UISupportsAssistiveAccess</key>
<true/>
<key>UISupportsFullScreenInAssistiveAccess</key>
<true/>

Step 2: Add the Assistive Access Scene

SwiftUI

Add an AssistiveAccess scene alongside your standard WindowGroup:

@main
struct MyApp: App {
    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup {
            ContentView()
        }

        AssistiveAccess {
            AssistiveAccessContentView()
        }
    }
}

The system automatically uses the AssistiveAccess scene when the device is in Assistive Access mode and falls back to WindowGroup otherwise.

UIKit

Use UIHostingSceneDelegate with a static rootScene property that returns an AssistiveAccess scene:

class AssistiveAccessSceneDelegate: UIHostingSceneDelegate {
    static var rootScene: some Scene {
        AssistiveAccess {
            AssistiveAccessContentView()
        }
    }
}

Register the scene configuration in your app delegate with the .windowAssistiveAccessApplication role:

func application(
    _ application: UIApplication,
    configurationForConnecting connectingSceneSession: UISceneSession,
    options: UIScene.ConnectionOptions
) -> UISceneConfiguration {
    let config = UISceneConfiguration(
        name: "Assistive Access",
        sessionRole: .windowAssistiveAccessApplication
    )
    config.delegateClass = AssistiveAccessSceneDelegate.self
    return config
}

Runtime Detection

Detect whether Assistive Access mode is active at runtime to conditionally adjust behavior:

struct AdaptiveView: View {
    @Environment(\.accessibilityAssistiveAccessEnabled) var assistiveAccessEnabled

    var body: some View {
        if assistiveAccessEnabled {
            SimplifiedView()
        } else {
            FullFeatureView()
        }
    }
}

Use this to hide advanced features, reduce information density, or switch to larger controls even within a shared view hierarchy.

Navigation Icons

Assistive Access uses large grid-based navigation, and icons paired with text reduce cognitive load. Give every navigation title an icon, not just the root (WWDC25 238):

// Paired with the navigation title of each screen
DrawView()
    .navigationTitle("Draw")
    .assistiveAccessNavigationIcon(systemImage: "hand.draw.fill")

// Using a custom image from the asset catalog
GalleryView()
    .navigationTitle("Gallery")
    .assistiveAccessNavigationIcon(Image("custom-icon"))

Design Principles

These six principles guide what to build in your Assistive Access scene.

1. Distill to Core Functionality

Identify the one or two most essential features and present only those. Remove secondary workflows, settings screens, and advanced options.

// ✅ Good: Only the core action
struct AssistiveAccessContentView: View {
    var body: some View {
        VStack(spacing: 24) {
            MessageListView()
            ComposeButton()
        }
    }
}

// ❌ Bad: Exposing the full app with all tabs
struct AssistiveAccessContentView: View {
    var body: some View {
        TabView {
            MessagesTab()
            ContactsTab()
            SettingsTab()
            ProfileTab()
        }
    }
}

2. Clear, Prominent Controls

Use large buttons with ample spacing. Native SwiftUI controls automatically adopt Assistive Access styling, so prefer standard Button, Toggle, and Picker over custom controls.

// ✅ Good: Large, standard controls with generous spacing
VStack(spacing: 20) {
    Button("Call Mom") {
        placeCall(to: .mom)
    }
    .font(.title)

    Button("Call Dad") {
        placeCall(to: .dad)
    }
    .font(.title)
}
.padding(24)

// ❌ Bad: Small, densely packed custom controls
HStack(spacing: 4) {
    SmallCustomButton("Mom", size: 30)
    SmallCustomButton("Dad", size: 30)
    SmallCustomButton("Sis", size: 30)
    SmallCustomButton("Bro", size: 30)
}

3. Multiple Representations

Pair text labels with icons so users can rely on whichever representation they understand best.

// ✅ Good: Text and icon together
Button {
    startCamera()
} label: {
    Label("Take Photo", systemImage: "camera.fill")
        .font(.title2)
}

// ❌ Bad: Icon only with no visible label
Button {
    startCamera()
} label: {
    Image(systemName: "camera.fill")
}

4. Intuitive Navigation

Use step-by-step flows with one decision per screen and reasonably few steps — reorder decisions if needed. The session's drawing-app demo inserted a dedicated color-selection view between "Draw" and the canvas, replacing the in-canvas color picker, so everyone arrives at the canvas with a color already chosen (WWDC25 238). Avoid deep hierarchies or complex branching.

The system back button traverses back up your NavigationStack automatically — do not build your own back affordance (WWDC25 238).

// ✅ Good: Linear step-by-step flow
NavigationStack {
    ChooseRecipientView()
        .navigationTitle("Send Message")
}

// ❌ Bad: Multi-level nested navigation with side branches
NavigationSplitView {
    SidebarView()
} content: {
    CategoryView()
} detail: {
    DetailView()
}

5. Safe Interactions

Prevent irreversible actions. Prefer removing destructive actions from the Assistive Access scene entirely — the session's demo dropped undo-stroke and delete-drawing — and where one must stay, confirm it twice with clear, understandable prompts (WWDC25 238).

// ✅ Good: Confirmation before destructive action
Button("Delete Photo", role: .destructive) {
    showDeleteConfirmation = true
}
.confirmationDialog(
    "Delete this photo?",
    isPresented: $showDeleteConfirmation,
    titleVisibility: .visible
) {
    Button("Delete", role: .destructive) {
        deletePhoto()
    }
    Button("Keep Photo", role: .cancel) {}
}

// ❌ Bad: Immediate destructive action with no confirmation
Button("Delete") {
    deletePhoto()
}

6. No Timed Interactions

Redesign anything that disappears or changes state after a timeout — auto-dismissing toasts, countdown confirmations, rotating banners. Everyone works at their own pace, and UI that acts on a timer creates pressure and errors (WWDC25 238).

// ✅ Good: Persistent confirmation the user dismisses
if didSave {
    Label("Saved", systemImage: "checkmark.circle.fill")
    Button("OK") { didSave = false }
}

// ❌ Bad: Toast that vanishes after 3 seconds
.onAppear {
    DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 3) { didSave = false }
}

Native Controls Auto-Style

When the device is in Assistive Access mode, standard SwiftUI controls (Button, Toggle, Picker, NavigationStack, and others) automatically adopt larger sizes and simplified styling. You do not need to add extra styling or conditional modifiers for these controls. Use native controls whenever possible and let the system handle the presentation.

Testing

Xcode Previews

Use the .assistiveAccess preview trait to see your Assistive Access scene in the canvas:

#Preview(traits: .assistiveAccess) {
    AssistiveAccessContentView()
}

On-Device Testing

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Assistive Access
2. Follow the setup flow to configure Assistive Access
3. Select your app from the list of optimized apps
4. Enter Assistive Access mode to test the full experience
5. Triple-click the side button to exit Assistive Access mode

Top Mistakes

| Mistake | Why It Fails | Fix | |---------|-------------|-----| | Missing UISupportsAssistiveAccess in Info.plist | App does not appear in the optimized apps list during Assistive Access setup | Add the key and set it to true | | No AssistiveAccess scene in the App body | System falls back to the standard WindowGroup, showing the full complex UI | Add an AssistiveAccess { } scene | | Exposing all app features in the Assistive Access scene | Overwhelming for users with cognitive disabilities; defeats the purpose | Distill to 1-2 core features | | Custom-drawn controls instead of native SwiftUI | Misses automatic Assistive Access styling from the system | Use standard Button, Toggle, Picker | | Icon-only buttons without text labels | Users may not understand the icon; no fallback representation | Use Label with both text and icon | | Destructive actions without confirmation | Risk of accidental, irreversible data loss | Remove them from the AA scene, or confirm twice | | Timed UI (auto-dismissing toasts, countdowns) | Users work at their own pace; state changing on a timer causes errors | Make state changes user-driven; remove timeouts | | Custom back buttons inside the AA scene | Duplicates the system back button, which already traverses NavigationStack | Rely on the system back button | | Only testing in standard mode | Assistive Access layout and behavior differ from standard mode | Test with .assistiveAccess preview trait and on-device |

Review Checklist

When reviewing an app's Assistive Access implementation, verify each item:

• [ ] UISupportsAssistiveAccess is true in Info.plist
• [ ] UISupportsFullScreenInAssistiveAccess is set if the app is an AAC tool
• [ ] AssistiveAccess scene is present in the App body
• [ ] Assistive Access scene contains only 1-2 core features
• [ ] All controls use native SwiftUI components (Button, Toggle, Picker)
• [ ] All buttons have both text and icon via Label
• [ ] Navigation is linear and shallow (no deep hierarchies); one decision per screen
• [ ] No custom back affordance — the system back button traverses the NavigationStack
• [ ] No timed interactions — nothing disappears or changes state on a timeout
• [ ] Destructive actions removed from the scene, or double-confirmed
• [ ] Every navigation title has an .assistiveAccessNavigationIcon
• [ ] Runtime detection via @Environment(\.accessibilityAssistiveAccessEnabled) is used where shared views need conditional behavior
• [ ] Xcode previews use #Preview(traits: .assistiveAccess)
• [ ] Tested on-device in Assistive Access mode

References

• Assistive Access
• AssistiveAccess Scene
• Accessibility on Apple Platforms
• Human Interface Guidelines: Accessibility