Accessibility

An honest account of where RealDex stands. Some of it works well, some of it doesn't yet, and this page says which is which.

Last updated 30 July 2026

Our position

We treat an accessibility barrier as a defect, not a feature request. If something stops you using RealDex, that is a bug and we want to know.

This page describes the app and the RealDex website as they actually are today. It is deliberately specific about what does not work yet, because a statement that only lists successes is not much use to someone deciding whether the app will work for them.

Current status

Partially conformant with WCAG 2.2 Level AA and its mobile equivalents. Partially conformant means much of the app meets the standard and some clearly identified parts do not.

RealDex has not been audited by an external accessibility specialist. This assessment is our own review of our own code, which is worth exactly what that is worth.

What works

In the app

  • Screen reader labels and hints on interactive controls across roughly 70 of 183 interface components — including the settings screens, navigation, and the main collection views
  • Native platform controls throughout, so VoiceOver and TalkBack gestures behave as users expect
  • Feedback delivered through an 11-pattern haptic vocabulary rather than sound, which does not depend on hearing
  • No audio content anywhere in the app, so nothing requires captions
  • No time limits on any interaction — nothing expires while you work out what to do
  • Light and dark themes
  • Portrait and landscape support

On the website

  • Semantic HTML with a logical heading order
  • Keyboard navigable, with visible focus indicators
  • Text contrast meeting AA against the dark background
  • Alternative text on meaningful images
  • Responsive to browser zoom and text resizing

Known problems

These are real and we are not going to bury them.

| Barrier | Effect | Status | | --- | --- | --- | | Roughly 60% of components lack explicit screen reader labels | Some controls announce generically or not at all to VoiceOver and TalkBack | Being worked through | | Collectible card text has font scaling disabled | Card text does not grow with iOS Dynamic Type or Android font size | Known — the card is a fixed layout and needs redesigning to scale | | No reduce-motion support | Card animations, shimmer and transitions play regardless of the system "reduce motion" setting | Not yet implemented | | Camera identification is inherently visual | Framing an animal in shot depends on sight, and we have no non-visual alternative | No solution yet; manual species search is the workaround | | Colour carries meaning in rarity and conservation-status indicators | Some status information is conveyed by colour with limited textual reinforcement | Being worked through | | The App Store listing declares no accessibility features | The listing understates what the app supports | To be updated |

The camera limitation is the honest hard one. Photographing an animal is a visual task, and we do not currently have a good answer for users who cannot do it. Manual identification by species search works without the camera and covers a large catalogue, but it is not equivalent and we are not going to pretend it is.

Compatibility

RealDex is built with React Native and uses native platform components, so it inherits platform accessibility support. It is designed to work with:

  • iOS — VoiceOver, Dynamic Type (except where noted above), Zoom, Increase Contrast
  • Android — TalkBack, font size and display size settings
  • Web — current versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge with common screen readers

We test with VoiceOver and TalkBack during development. We do not have access to the full range of assistive technology people actually use, which is one reason reports from users are valuable.

Telling us about a problem

Email alpyalay@gmail.com with the subject "Accessibility", or use the support form.

Useful things to include, if you can:

  • What you were trying to do
  • Which assistive technology and version
  • Your device and OS version
  • What happened instead

What to expect. We aim to acknowledge within 5 working days and to tell you whether it can be fixed quickly or needs to go into a release. If we cannot fix something, we will say so and explain why rather than leaving you waiting.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can raise the matter with the equality or accessibility body in your country.

Standards

This statement is made with reference to WCAG 2.2 AA, the European Accessibility Act, the UK Equality Act 2010, and the accessibility guidance published by Apple and Google. It was last reviewed on 30 July 2026 and is based on our own self-assessment of the current release.

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