AppleVis has published its 2025 Apple accessibility report card, and the takeaway isn’t especially flattering for Apple this time around. The group says Apple’s overall visual-accessibility score fell by 0.2 points to 3.7 out of 5, with much of the criticism centered on the new Liquid Glass design language in iOS 26 and on longstanding software bugs that still haven’t been fixed.
For context, AppleVis is a community platform focused on helping blind, deafblind, and low-vision users get more out of Apple products. It now operates under Be My Eyes, and its annual scorecard is based on feedback from users who depend on accessibility features in day-to-day use rather than just lab-style testing.
According to the report, the biggest drag on this year’s score was Apple’s visual redesign. AppleVis says the Liquid Glass interface changes created noticeable problems for many low-vision users, making parts of the experience less comfortable and, in some cases, less usable than before.
The concerns weren’t limited to visual styling, either. VoiceOver and braille users also expressed strong frustration with software quality. The report says many respondents feel Apple still hasn’t addressed a number of old accessibility bugs, which has worn down confidence even among people who continue to rely heavily on Apple devices.
There were a few bright spots. AppleVis noted small improvements in several narrower areas, including the braille experience on iPadOS, the low-vision experience on tvOS, and the braille experience on macOS. Each of those categories reportedly saw a 0.1-point bump in satisfaction.
Even with the broader score slipping, VoiceOver remains one of Apple’s strongest accessibility features. The source says multiple users still described it as a top-tier tool across devices, and one respondent even called it the best screen reader they had ever used.
That mix of praise and criticism is really the heart of the report. Many participants acknowledged that Apple has invested heavily in accessibility over the years and has done real work to improve the experience. At the same time, they argued that Apple stumbled in key areas by leaving old bugs unresolved and by introducing new friction through the Liquid Glass visual refresh.
In short, AppleVis isn’t saying Apple accessibility is broken across the board. It is saying that for a company with such a strong reputation in this area, expectations are higher, and this year’s feedback suggests Apple didn’t quite meet them.
