.NET MAUI Accessibility Skill

Use this skill when adding or auditing accessibility in .NET MAUI apps. It covers SemanticProperties, AutomationProperties, screen reader announcements, and platform-specific pitfalls.

SemanticProperties (Attached Properties)

Set on any VisualElement to provide screen reader context.

XAML

<Button Text="Save"
        SemanticProperties.Description="Save your changes"
        SemanticProperties.Hint="Double tap to save the current document" />

<Label Text="Settings"
       SemanticProperties.HeadingLevel="Level1" />

C#

var btn = new Button { Text = "Save" };
SemanticProperties.SetDescription(btn, "Save your changes");
SemanticProperties.SetHint(btn, "Double tap to save the current document");

var heading = new Label { Text = "Settings" };
SemanticProperties.SetHeadingLevel(heading, SemanticHeadingLevel.Level1);

Programmatic Focus & Announcements

SetSemanticFocus

Move screen reader focus to an element after a UI change:

errorLabel.Text = "Username is required";
errorLabel.SetSemanticFocus();

SemanticScreenReader.Announce

Push a live announcement without moving focus:

SemanticScreenReader.Announce("File uploaded successfully");

Use Announce for transient status updates. Use SetSemanticFocus when the user must interact with the target element.

AutomationProperties

Control whether an element appears in the accessibility tree.

<!-- Decorative image — hide from screen reader -->
<Image Source="bg.png"
       AutomationProperties.IsInAccessibleTree="false" />

<!-- Container with purely decorative content -->
<Grid AutomationProperties.ExcludedWithChildren="true">
    <Image Source="pattern.png" />
</Grid>

Deprecated AutomationProperties → SemanticProperties

Avoid the deprecated properties in new code. They may not work consistently across platforms and will be removed in a future release.

Critical Platform Gotchas

1. Don't set Description on Label

Setting SemanticProperties.Description on a Label overrides the Text property for screen readers. If Description matches Text, the label may be read twice or behave unexpectedly. Omit Description and let the screen reader read Text directly.

<!-- BAD — stops Text from being read naturally -->
<Label Text="Welcome"
       SemanticProperties.Description="Welcome" />

<!-- GOOD — screen reader reads Text automatically -->
<Label Text="Welcome" />

2. Android Entry/Editor: Description breaks TalkBack actions

On Android, setting SemanticProperties.Description on Entry or Editor causes TalkBack to lose "double tap to edit" action hints. Use Placeholder or SemanticProperties.Hint instead.

<!-- BAD on Android -->
<Entry SemanticProperties.Description="Email address" />

<!-- GOOD — use Placeholder for context -->
<Entry Placeholder="Email address" />

3. iOS: Description on parent hides children

On iOS/VoiceOver, setting SemanticProperties.Description on a layout (e.g. StackLayout, Grid) makes the entire container a single accessible element, making child elements unreachable.

<!-- BAD — children invisible to VoiceOver -->
<HorizontalStackLayout SemanticProperties.Description="User info">
    <Label Text="Name:" />
    <Label Text="Alice" />
</HorizontalStackLayout>

<!-- GOOD — let children be individually focusable -->
<HorizontalStackLayout>
    <Label Text="Name:" />
    <Label Text="Alice" />
</HorizontalStackLayout>

4. Hint conflicts with Entry.Placeholder on Android

On Android, SemanticProperties.Hint and Entry.Placeholder map to the same Android attribute (contentDescription / hint). Setting both may cause one to override the other. Choose one.

5. HeadingLevel platform differences

• •Windows (Narrator): Supports all 9 heading levels (Level1–Level9).
• •Android (TalkBack) / iOS (VoiceOver): Only distinguish "heading" vs "not heading". All levels (Level1–Level9) are treated identically.

Use Level1–Level9 for semantic correctness; just know the hierarchy only renders on Windows.

Accessibility Checklist for Existing Pages

When auditing or retrofitting a page, work through this list:

1. •Images: Add SemanticProperties.Description to meaningful images. Set AutomationProperties.IsInAccessibleTree="false" on decorative ones.
2. •Buttons/Controls: Ensure icon-only buttons have Description. Text buttons generally don't need it.
3. •Entries/Editors: Use Placeholder for context. Add Hint only if extra instruction is needed. Avoid Description (Android breakage).
4. •Labels: Do not add Description — let Text speak for itself. Add HeadingLevel to section headers.
5. •Headings: Mark page title as Level1, section titles as Level2, etc.
6. •Grouping: Avoid Description on layout containers (iOS breakage). Use ExcludedWithChildren to hide decorative groups.
7. •Dynamic content: Call SemanticScreenReader.Announce for status changes. Use SetSemanticFocus after navigation or error display.
8. •Tab order: Set TabIndex on interactive controls for logical order.
9. •Test: Run TalkBack (Android), VoiceOver (iOS/Mac), and Narrator (Windows) to verify the reading order and actions.