Accessibility

Accessibility in Gritty Kids for iOS

Last updated: November 4, 2026

We want every child to be able to play Gritty Kids, and we are still working toward that. This page explains the accessibility features in Gritty Kids for iOS on iPhone and iPad, and where the app still falls short. Gritty Kids for iOS does not fully conform to accessibility standards.

This page covers version 2.1.1 and later. It does not cover the Android or Amazon versions of the app, the grittykids.com website, or our printed books and workbooks.

Text size

Gritty Kids follows the Larger Text setting on your iPhone or iPad. To change it, open the Settings app, then go to Accessibility, Display & Text Size, Larger Text.

Menus, dialogs, buttons, workbooks, and in-game prompts and answer choices can grow up to 2x their normal size. Board tiles, letters and numbers stay a fixed size. You can also use the iOS Zoom feature, which the app does not block.

VoiceOver

VoiceOver is the screen reader built into iPhone and iPad. To turn it on, open the Settings app, then go to Accessibility, VoiceOver.

Buttons, map pins, game cards and game pieces have names that VoiceOver reads aloud. Accessibility mode turns on automatically while VoiceOver is running.

VoiceOver also announces:

• Hints from Lambie
• What the memory games show (Sequence Memory, Pattern Copy, Who’s Missing and Muddy Puddles)
• Finished puzzles and wrong answers
• The start and result of a Tractor Trail race
• When time runs out in Spot the Change
• 2-player results in Memory Match and Sequence Memory

Accessibility mode

Accessibility mode is a switch in the app’s settings menu, which you can open from the farm map. It is off by default. It turns on by itself while VoiceOver is running. It also turns on with Switch Control, the Grayscale color filter and Differentiate Without Color, unless someone has turned the switch off by hand. Anyone else, such as people using Full Keyboard Access, can turn it on with the switch. When it is on:

• Games that use color to show meaning add a shape, a number, or a ✓ or ✗ mark.
• Standard text buttons use darker colors so their labels are easier to read.
• Connect the Characters, Connect the Bales, Word Search and Synonym Match, which are played by dragging, also accept single taps.
• In those four games, and in Letter Path and Muddy Puddles, each cell or word is a separate, labeled item for VoiceOver, and the game instructions add a line that explains tapping.

Known limitations

• The app works in portrait only. It cannot be used on a device mounted in landscape.
• The parent gate before purchases, the store link and deleting a player needs a 3-second hold with two fingers. With VoiceOver on, it takes one held target instead. There is no alternative for Switch Control or a keyboard.
• Board letters and numbers stay a fixed size, along with the number pad and some text printed on game boards.
• Text grows up to 2x, even if your device is set larger than that. At the largest sizes, some screens get long and need scrolling.
• Testing on real devices has been general so far. We have not tested each feature on a device, used VoiceOver or Switch Control on a device, or tested the app with users with disabilities. Our results come from code review, automated tests and simulator checks.
• VoiceOver does not announce 2-player results in Eclipse, Order and Chaos or Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe, each new equation in Tractor Trail, the time left in Spot the Change, or the status lines in Sequence Memory. A wrong answer is skipped if something else is still being spoken.
• The Silo Roll board has a VoiceOver label giving the positions of the silo and the red circle, but it does not describe the tiles, so the game cannot be fully played with VoiceOver.
• Accessibility mode does not follow Increase Contrast or other color filters, and Full Keyboard Access users need to turn it on themselves.
• In Math Grid, Crossnumber Puzzle, Count the Path and Fill the Boxes, a wrong entry shows in red with no ✗, even with Accessibility mode on.
• With Accessibility mode off, some games show meaning by color alone, and the labels on orange and green buttons are low in contrast. The turn banner in 2-player games is low in contrast in any mode.
• Some parts of the app are timed, and the time cannot be changed. Tractor Trail and Spot the Change have countdowns, and the memory games show what to remember for a set time.

Get help

If something in the app gets in the way for your child or your students, or you have a question about accessibility, email us at app@grittykids.com.

Schools and districts can read our accessibility conformance report (VPAT) for Gritty Kids for iOS, or ask us for it at the same address.

Accessibility report (VPAT 2.5, iOS app v2.1.1) · PDF, 408 KB

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