Hi everyone,
I'm experiencing a frustrating and significant accessibility bug in the Instagram app while running a specific iOS beta, and I need to know if others are seeing this.
I have two iPhone 16 devices: one on iOS 26 (official release) and one on iOS 26.1 Beta 3.
The Bug: VoiceOver and Reels Playback On the iPhone running iOS 26.1 Beta 3, if I navigate to a Reel on Instagram while VoiceOver is active, the video will not play. To start the video, I must perform the following workaround: I have to turn VoiceOver off, manually tap the Reel to start the video playback, and only then can I turn VoiceOver back on. This critical issue does not occur on my iPhone running the official iOS 26 release. I first noticed this in iOS 26.1 Beta 2, and it persists in Beta 3.
Instagram App Layout Difference (Feature vs. DM): In addition to the bug, I've noticed a difference in the primary navigation bar (at the bottom of the screen) on the iOS 26.1 Beta 2 and 3 devices.
•
iOS 26 (Official): The bottom tab bar has the option for Create (posting new content).
•
iOS 26.1 Beta 2/3: This layout is different; the Create option has been replaced with the Direct Message (DM) option.
This suggests that the accessibility bug may be linked to a new interface test that Instagram is running, perhaps only for users on the latest iOS betas.
Call to Action: Has anyone else on iOS 26.1 Beta (or Beta 2) experienced this VoiceOver/Reels playback issue in Instagram?
If you can reproduce this bug, please, report it! I am not familiar with the proper channels for bug reporting to Meta (Instagram's parent company), and my general attempts haven't worked. The more reports they receive, the faster this may be fixed.
Thanks in advance for checking and providing confirmation!Hi everyone,
I'm experiencing a frustrating and significant accessibility bug in the Instagram app while running a specific iOS beta, and I need help confirming if the issue is with Apple's beta or Instagram's app.
I have two iPhone 16 devices: one on iOS 26 (official release) and one on iOS 26.1 Beta 3.
The Bug: VoiceOver and Reels Playback On the iPhone running iOS 26.1 Beta 3, if I navigate to a Reel on Instagram while VoiceOver is active, the video will not play. To start the video, I must perform the following workaround: I have to turn VoiceOver off, manually tap the Reel to start the video playback, and only then can I turn VoiceOver back on. This critical issue does not occur on my iPhone running the official iOS 26 release. I first noticed this in iOS 26.1 Beta 2, and it persists in Beta 3.
Instagram App Layout Difference (Create vs. DM): In addition to the bug, I've noticed a difference in the primary navigation bar (at the bottom of the screen) on the iOS 26.1 Beta 2 and 3 devices:
•
iOS 26 (Official): The bottom tab bar has the option for Create (posting new content).
•
iOS 26.1 Beta 2/3: This layout is different; the Create option has been replaced with the Direct Message (DM) option.
This suggests that the accessibility bug may be linked to a new interface test that Instagram is running, potentially causing a conflict with the iOS beta's VoiceOver functions.
Call to Action: Please Test and Advise on Reporting!
Has anyone else on iOS 26.1 Beta (or Beta 2) experienced this VoiceOver/Reels playback issue in Instagram?
We need to figure out which company to target with bug reports:
1.
If the issue is caused by the iOS beta: We need to file a report with Apple via the Feedback Assistant app.
2.
If the issue is caused by the Instagram app (e.g., poor adoption of new accessibility APIs): We need to report it to Meta (Instagram).
If you can confirm this bug, please share your thoughts on the best way to report it. If we need to report to Apple, should we use the "Accessibility" category or "Third-Party App" in Feedback Assistant?
Thanks in advance for your help in testing and deciding the best course of action!
By mahmood, 15 October, 2025
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