Making map pins accessible

Maps are hard for accessibility. Pins are drawn on the map, and many map libraries do not tell the screen reader that they exist.

The problem we found

On Android, our pins were invisible to TalkBack, the screen reader. They were also invisible to our automated test tools, which use the same accessibility information.

Why it matters

• People who use a screen reader could not pick a home.
• Our automated tests could not tap a pin, so a part of the app was not tested.

The fix

We changed how the pins are drawn, so that each pin is a real element with a label. Now the screen reader can read them, and the tests can tap them.

The lesson

Accessibility and testability often go together. If a test tool cannot find an element, a screen reader probably cannot either.