VoiceOver Compatible Apps for Apple iPhone and Mac
Author: Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 6 Mar 2011 - Updated: 21 Aug 2026
Publication Type: Informative
Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content
Synopsis
This information compiles a categorized directory of applications that work with Apple's VoiceOver screen reader across the iPhone and Mac, grouping titles into practical areas such as audio, Braille, communication, news and email, reference, scanning and optical character recognition, web browsing, word processing and system utilities. It is written for blind and low-vision users, people with dyslexia, and the caregivers, teachers and accessibility coordinators who support them, since VoiceOver lets a person operate a Mac or iOS device through spoken descriptions and keyboard navigation rather than sight. The material is useful because it saves readers from testing software one by one, pointing instead to tools that have been reported to function with the screen reader, and it notes that VoiceOver supports many Braille displays for users who are both blind and deaf as well as multi-touch gestures on MacBooks and Magic Trackpads. Its value lies in gathering scattered accessibility knowledge into a single reference maintained with input from the disability community, and readers are invited to suggest additions or flag apps that no longer perform as expected.
At a Glance
- 1 - The list is invitational, asking readers to suggest new VoiceOver compatible apps for inclusion. It also asks people to report any app that no longer works as expected so the entry can be removed.
- 2 - VoiceOver ships built into macOS on every new Mac and is also included on recent iOS devices. Apple has even added it to the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano.
- 3 - The directory reaches well beyond productivity, listing games such as Frotz and THETA Poker Pro alongside radio services like Pandora and iHeartRadio. This breadth shows that accessible design covers leisure and entertainment, not just work tasks.
- 4 - Entries span dedicated Braille tools including LibLouis, Turbo Braille and HTML2Braille, showing support for tactile as well as spoken output. Scanning and optical character recognition options such as VueScan and ReadIris Pro are also included for turning printed text into accessible content.
Topic Definition
- VoiceOver Screen Reader
VoiceOver is Apple's built-in screen reader, a gesture and keyboard driven accessibility feature that describes aloud whatever is happening on an iPhone, iPad, Mac or other Apple device so that a person can operate it without needing to see the screen. Designed chiefly for people who are blind or have low vision, and also helpful for some users with dyslexia, it reads interface elements, documents and web pages, announces incoming alerts, and lets the user move through content with taps, swipes, keyboard commands or trackpad gestures. Because it is baked into the operating system rather than sold as an add-on, VoiceOver works out of the box on new hardware and pairs with many refreshable Braille displays, which extends access to people who are both blind and deaf. In practice its usefulness depends heavily on the apps a person runs, which is why compatibility lists exist - an application that exposes its controls properly to VoiceOver becomes fully usable, while one that does not can leave parts of its features out of reach.
Overview
Accessibility is the successful access to information and information technologies by people with disabilities.
"VoiceOver has taken a quantum leap forward in its ability to navigate the web, providing dramatic performance improvements, new commands for greater control, improved compatibility, and support for emerging accessibility standards " - Apple
By using VoiceOver, a person can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind and low-vision users, as well as for users with dyslexia. VoiceOver is included on the latest versions of Apple's iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano, as well as recent Macs and iOS devices.
If you're blind or have low vision, you can enjoy the simplicity, security, and reliability of the Mac using VoiceOver.
It's built into the Mac OS X operating system that comes with every new Mac and sets a new standard for screen readers. VoiceOver also includes support for many Braille displays for those who are both blind and deaf. In addition, VoiceOver includes features for those that cannot use the mouse, such as keyboard based navigation. For users with MacBooks or Magic Trackpads, a number of special multi-touch features are also available.
| List of Apple iOS VoiceOver Compatible Applications |
|---|
| Audio Apps |
| Amadeus II and Pro |
| Apple iTunes |
| Audible for iPhone |
| Black Cat Systems Audio Recorder |
| Cacophony |
| Freeverse Sound Studio |
| Rogue Amoeba Airfoil |
| Rogue Amoeba Audio Hijack Pro |
| Rogue Amoeba Fission |
| Softcon Audio Burn |
| Speech Central |
| Braille Apps |
| BrailleTranslate |
| HTML2Braille |
| Index Braille iBraille |
| LibLouis |
| Louis |
| NFBTrans |
| Turbo Braille |
| Calendar Apps |
| Apple iCal |
| Bare Bones Software Yojimbo |
| Econ Technologies DayChaser |
| Communication Apps |
| Adium |
| Apple iChat |
| Flagship Industries Ventrillo |
| Microsoft Messenger |
| Softpedia Proteus |
| Skype |
| Twitterific |
| VoiceTexter |
| Database Apps |
| Bento |
| OpenOffice 3 |
| Tables |
| Entertainment Apps |
| Audiobook Player |
| Directv |
| fandango (us only) |
| Inside redbox mobile lite |
| Shazam |
| Finance Apps |
| Bank of America (US Only) |
| Splasm Checkbook |
| Food and Restaurant Apps |
| Urban spoon |
| Games Apps |
| Bing Bong |
| Clever Clues |
| Frotz |
| GAMEminder |
| HangMan |
| Huboodle |
| THETA Poker Pro - Texas Hold 'Em |
| True or False |
| Name that tune |
| What Would You Do if |
| Health and Fitness Apps |
| StepTrak Lite |
| News eMail and RSS Apps |
| Apple Mail |
| AP mobile |
| Free RSS reader |
| NetNewsWire |
| NewsBot |
| New York Times |
| Sky News |
| Telme John (Now NewsBot) |
| Presentation Apps |
| OpenOffice 3 |
| Radio Apps |
| I Heart Radio |
| Pandora |
| Public Radio Tuner |
| Wunder Radio |
| Slacker Radio |
| TWIT am |
| Religion and Spirituality Apps |
| Bible YouVersion |
| Mantis Bible Study |
| Reference Apps |
| Bibdesk |
| MacSword |
| Software MacKiev WorldBook |
| Vital Source Bookshelf |
| Scanning/OCR Apps |
| Hamrick Vue Scan |
| Iris ReadIris Pro 11 |
| Shopping Apps |
| Amazon mobile |
| Red Laser |
| Snaptel |
| Social Networking Apps |
| Fring |
| Myspace Mobile |
| Twittelator Pro |
| Sports Apps |
| MLB at bat 2009 |
| Redwings |
| Score Center from ESPn |
| Utilities Apps |
| Apple Activity Monitor |
| Apple Address Book |
| Apple AirPort Utility |
| Apple Automator |
| Apple Boot Camp Assistant |
| Apple Calculator |
| Apple Chess |
| Apple Console |
| Apple Dashboard |
| Apple Dictionary |
| Apple Directory |
| Apple Disk Utility |
| Apple Font Book |
| Apple iSync |
| Apple Keychain Access |
| Apple Migration Assistant |
| Apple Network Utility |
| Apple Spotlight |
| Apple System Preferences |
| Apple System Profiler |
| Apple Terminal |
| Apple Time Machine |
| Apple VoiceOver Utility |
| Assistiveware SwitchXS |
| Assistiveware VisioVoice |
| CyberDuck |
| List Recorder |
| Mark/Space Missing Sync |
| Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection |
| Panic Transmit |
| Roxio Toast |
| Smith Micro Stuffit lite 6.5 |
| Softcon Data Burn |
| Viewer/Player Apps |
| Apple Front Row |
| Apple iTunes |
| Apple Preview PDF/image viewer |
| Apple QuickTime Player |
| AquaMinds Viewer |
| Flip-4-Mac |
| Olearia Daisy Player |
| RealPlayer |
| Skim PDF reader |
| Softcon PDF viewer |
| VLC media player |
| Utility Apps |
| Google mobile |
| MobileStudio |
| ocrNow! Lite |
| remote |
| SpeedTest |
| Vlingo |
| Voice Apps |
| Assistiveware InfoVox iVox |
| Cepstral Voices |
| Voice Secretary |
| Web Apps |
| AOL Desktop |
| AIM for Mac |
| Apple Safari |
| FireVox/iCab |
| MarsEdit 2 |
| Opera |
| Shiira |
| The Omni Group OmniWeb |
| Word Processing Apps |
| Apple TextEdit |
| Bean |
| Mariner MacJournal |
| Mariner Montage |
| Mariner Write |
| Nisus Writer Express |
| Nisus Writer Pro |
| OpenOffice 3 |
| TexShop LaTeX |
| XJournal journaling software |
| Miscellaneous Apps |
| Alpha Baby |
| AquaMinds NoteShare |
| AquaMinds NoteShare Server |
| AquaMinds NoteTaker |
| Better Clock |
| ColorVisor |
| DevonThink Pro |
| DTBmaker Mac |
| DTB2iTunes |
| Remember |
| REminder |
| MacSpeech Dictate! |
| VMWare Fusion |
| White Noise Lite |
| Apple TV (tvOS) |
| THETA Poker Pro - Texas Hold 'Em |
Note: If you know of other VoiceOver compatible apps for the iPhone or Mac please contact us so we can add the Application to the list. Likewise, if an App doesn't work as expected with VoiceOver let us know so we can remove the entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I turn VoiceOver on and off
On an iPhone or iPad you can enable it in Settings under Accessibility, ask Siri to turn VoiceOver on or off, or use the Accessibility Shortcut, while on a Mac the keyboard shortcut Command plus F5 toggles it.
Is VoiceOver free or does it cost extra
VoiceOver is included at no additional cost as part of the operating system on Apple devices, so there is nothing separate to buy to use the screen reader itself.
What is the difference between VoiceOver and Siri
VoiceOver is a screen reader that narrates and lets you navigate the interface, while Siri is a voice assistant that responds to spoken requests, and the two serve different purposes even though both use speech.
Can VoiceOver work with a refreshable Braille display
Yes, VoiceOver supports many Braille displays over Bluetooth or USB, which allows blind and deafblind users to read output in Braille and, on supported displays, enter text as well.
Why do some apps not work well with VoiceOver
Apps that do not label their buttons and controls for accessibility can leave elements unreadable or unusable, which is why developer support for accessibility standards makes a large difference in how well an app performs.
Does VoiceOver work in languages other than English
Yes, VoiceOver supports a wide range of languages and voices, and users can add and switch between languages or adjust the speaking voice within the accessibility settings.
How can I make VoiceOver speak faster or slower
You can adjust the speaking rate in the VoiceOver settings, and on iPhone or iPad the rotor control also lets you change speech rate quickly while you are reading.
What should I do if an app on the list no longer works with VoiceOver
Because software changes over time, it helps to verify an app against the current operating system, report the issue to the app developer, and let the list maintainers know so the entry can be reviewed.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: Worth keeping in mind is that this resource carries an older update date, so some of the named titles, version numbers and services will have changed, merged or retired in the years since - a reality of any software list rather than a flaw in the approach behind it. What still holds up is the organizing principle, that a blind or low-vision user benefits from knowing which everyday tools cooperate with a screen reader before committing time or money to them, and that principle applies just as much to a person setting up a first Mac as to a longtime user rebuilding a workflow. The community-sourced model, where readers add working apps and flag broken ones, remains one of the more durable ways to keep accessibility knowledge current, and anyone relying on VoiceOver today would still do well to confirm a given app against the latest operating system before depending on it.
Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.