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A11Y: Can't read text with semantics header:true #187925
Description
Steps to reproduce
- Create some text and make it a header like:
Semantics(
header: true,
child: Focus(
child: Text('Section One'),
),
),- Start your app with
flutter run - Try to tab to the heading
- Notice that Orca just says heading and doesn't read the text
Expected results
It should read "section 1 header".
Actual results
It just says "header" and ignores the text.
Code sample
Code sample
You can either use the snippet below or go to this repo, then cd headers_arent_read and flutter run.
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
const String _appTitle = 'Headers Aren\'t Read';
void main() {
runApp(const MyApp());
}
class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
const MyApp({super.key});
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return MaterialApp(
title: _appTitle,
theme: ThemeData(
colorScheme: ColorScheme.fromSeed(
seedColor: const Color(0xFFE95420), // Ubuntu Orange
primary: const Color(0xFFE95420), // Ubuntu Orange
secondary: const Color(0xFF772953), // Canonical Aubergine
),
),
home: const MyHomePage(),
);
}
}
class MyHomePage extends StatelessWidget {
const MyHomePage({super.key});
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Scaffold(
appBar: AppBar(
backgroundColor: Theme.of(context).colorScheme.inversePrimary,
title: const Text(_appTitle),
),
body: Padding(
padding: EdgeInsets.all(24.0),
child: Column(
crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
children: [
// BUG: Orca only announces "header" — the label is never read.
Semantics(
header: true,
child: Focus(
child: Text('Section One'),
),
),
SizedBox(height: 32),
// WORKS: Orca reads the text correctly when header is removed.
Semantics(
header: false,
child: Focus(
child: Text('Section Two'),
),
),
],
),
),
);
}
}Screenshots or Video
No response
Logs
No response
Flutter Doctor output
Doctor output
[✓] Flutter (Channel stable, 3.41.5,
on Ubuntu Stonking Stingray
(development branch)
7.0.0-22-generic, locale
en_US.UTF-8) [67ms]
• Flutter version 3.41.5 on
channel stable at
/home/paul/development/flutter
• Upstream repository
https://github.com/flutter/flu
tter.git
• Framework revision 2c9eb20739
(3 months ago), 2026-03-17
16:14:01 -0700
• Engine revision 052f31d115
• Dart version 3.11.3
• DevTools version 2.54.2
• Feature flags: enable-web,
enable-linux-desktop,
enable-macos-desktop,
enable-windows-desktop,
enable-android, enable-ios,
cli-animations,
enable-native-assets,
omit-legacy-version-file,
enable-lldb-debugging,
enable-uiscene-migration
[✗] Android toolchain - develop for
Android devices [54ms]
✗ Unable to locate Android SDK.
Install Android Studio from:
https://developer.android.com/
studio/index.html
On first launch it will assist
you in installing the Android
SDK components.
(or visit
https://flutter.dev/to/linux-a
ndroid-setup for detailed
instructions).
If the Android SDK has been
installed to a custom
location, please use
`flutter config --android-sdk`
to update to that location.
[✗] Chrome - develop for the web
(Cannot find Chrome executable
at google-chrome) [17ms]
! Cannot find Chrome. Try
setting CHROME_EXECUTABLE to a
Chrome executable.
[✓] Linux toolchain - develop for
Linux desktop [523ms]
• Ubuntu clang version 21.1.8
(6ubuntu1)
• cmake version 4.2.3
• ninja version 1.13.2
• pkg-config version 2.5.1
• OpenGL core renderer: AMD
Radeon 890M Graphics
(radeonsi, strix1, ACO, DRM
3.64, 7.0.0-22-generic)
• OpenGL core version: 4.6 (Core
Profile) Mesa 26.0.3-1ubuntu1
• OpenGL core shading language
version: 4.60
• OpenGL ES renderer: AMD Radeon
890M Graphics (radeonsi,
strix1, ACO, DRM 3.64,
7.0.0-22-generic)
• OpenGL ES version: OpenGL ES
3.2 Mesa 26.0.3-1ubuntu1
• OpenGL ES shading language
version: OpenGL ES GLSL ES
3.20
• GL_EXT_framebuffer_blit: yes
•
GL_EXT_texture_format_BGRA8888
: yes
[✓] Connected device (1 available)
[126ms]
• Linux (desktop) • linux •
linux-x64 • Ubuntu Stonking
Stingray (development branch)
7.0.0-22-generic
[✓] Network resources [351ms]
• All expected network resources
are available.
! Doctor found issues in 2
categories.
Activity
flutter-triage-bot commentedon Jun 12, 2026
Issue is assigned to multiple teams (macos, windows, linux, accessibility). Please ensure the issue has only one
team-*label at a time. Usefyi-*labels to have another team look at the issue without reassigning it.3 remaining items
[linux] Read heading text through the AtkText interface
hannah-hyj commentedon Jun 17, 2026
@paul-geoghegan Can you confirm this issue is only on linux? I think it should be able to announce on iOS and android?
paul-geoghegan commentedon Jun 22, 2026
Yes, I think it's just on desktop.
[linux] Read heading text through the AtkText interface (flutter#188005)
[CP-stable][linux] Read heading text through the AtkText interface (#…
github-actions commentedon Sep 2, 2026
This thread has been automatically locked since there has not been any recent activity after it was closed. If you are still experiencing a similar issue, please open a new bug, including the output of
flutter doctor -vand a minimal reproduction of the issue.