appendix o github mobile

Appendix O: GitHub Mobile

Listen to Episode 32: GitHub Mobile - a conversational audio overview of this chapter. Listen before reading to preview the concepts, or after to reinforce what you learned.

Accessibility Guide for iOS and Android

GitHub Mobile brings issues, pull requests, notifications, and code review to your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. This appendix covers setup, VoiceOver and TalkBack usage, and the tasks best suited to mobile.

Table of Contents

1. Installing GitHub Mobile
2. Getting Around the App
3. VoiceOver on iOS
4. TalkBack on Android
5. Working with Notifications
6. Reviewing Pull Requests
7. Working with Issues
8. What Mobile Does Well vs. Desktop
9. Common Issues and Workarounds

1. Installing GitHub Mobile

Platform	Download
iOS (iPhone / iPad)	App Store - GitHub
Android	Google Play - GitHub

After installing, sign in with your GitHub account. Enable notifications when prompted - these are essential for staying on top of PR reviews and issue activity without constantly checking the web.

2. Getting Around the App

GitHub Mobile is organized into five main tabs at the bottom of the screen:

Tab	Contents
Home	Personalized feed of activity across your repositories
Notifications	All @mentions, review requests, issue updates
Explore	Discover repositories and trending projects
Pull Requests	PRs assigned to you, created by you, or awaiting your review
Profile	Your profile, repositories, stars, and settings

Navigate between tabs with a single tap (or swipe on iOS with VoiceOver active).

3. VoiceOver on iOS

Enabling VoiceOver

• Triple-click the side button (iPhone X and later) or triple-click the Home button to toggle VoiceOver
• Or: Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver → toggle on

Basic Gestures in GitHub Mobile

Gesture	Action
Swipe right	Move to the next element
Swipe left	Move to the previous element
Double tap	Activate the focused element
Two-finger swipe up	Read from the top
Two-finger tap	Pause/resume speech
Three-finger swipe left/right	Move between screens
Scrub (two-finger Z motion)	Go back

Rotor in GitHub Mobile

Open the Rotor by rotating two fingers on the screen as if turning a dial. Useful rotor settings for GitHub Mobile:

• Headings - jump between section headings on an issue or PR description
• Links - navigate to linked issues, commits, or external URLs
• Form Controls - jump to input fields when writing a comment
• Actions - available actions for the focused element (assign, label, close)

Writing Comments with VoiceOver

1. Navigate to the comment field (swipe to it or use Rotor → Form Controls)
2. Double tap to activate and open the keyboard
3. Type your comment; VoiceOver announces each character
4. When done, swipe to the Comment button and double tap to submit

4. TalkBack on Android

Enabling TalkBack

• Settings → Accessibility → TalkBack → toggle on
• Or: hold both volume keys for three seconds (if the shortcut is enabled)

Basic Gestures in GitHub Mobile

Gesture	Action
Swipe right	Move to next element
Swipe left	Move to previous element
Double tap	Activate the focused element
Swipe up then down	Scroll down
Swipe down then up	Scroll up
Swipe right then left	Go back
Two-finger swipe down	Read from top

TalkBack Menu

Tap with three fingers (or swipe down then right) to open the TalkBack menu. From here you can:

• Change the reading granularity (character, word, line, paragraph)
• Activate reading controls
• Copy text

Writing Comments with TalkBack

1. Locate the comment field - TalkBack announces "Edit text, double tap to edit"
2. Double tap to enter the field
3. Use the on-screen keyboard or dictation to type
4. Locate the Comment button and double tap to submit

5. Working with Notifications

GitHub Mobile's Notifications tab is one of its strongest features for AT users - it surfaces all activity in a clean, linear list that is much easier to navigate than the GitHub web notifications page.

Inbox Management

• Swipe left on a notification to reveal quick actions: Mark as read, Archive, Unsubscribe
• Swipe right to mark as done
• Tap a notification to open the full issue or PR

Filtering Notifications

Use the filter icon at the top right to filter by:

• Type (Issues, PRs, Releases, etc.)
• Repository
• Reason (you were @mentioned, a review was requested, etc.)

With VoiceOver or TalkBack, the filter controls are accessible form elements. Open the filter panel, navigate to each option, and activate to toggle it.

6. Reviewing Pull Requests

Mobile is well suited for quick PR reviews - approving straightforward changes, leaving a comment, or checking CI status while away from your desk.

Navigating a PR

When you open a pull request, the screen is divided into sections:

• Description - the PR body with any images or checklists
• Commits - individual commits in this PR
• Files changed - a simplified diff view
• Checks - CI/CD status

VoiceOver and TalkBack announce these as headings. Use heading navigation (Rotor on iOS, swipe granularity on Android) to jump between sections.

Leaving a Review

1. Scroll to or navigate to the Review changes button
2. Double tap to open the review panel
3. Choose Approve, Request changes, or Comment
4. Add an optional comment in the text field
5. Activate Submit review

Viewing Diffs

The Files Changed tab shows a simplified diff - additions and removals are text-only (no table layout). Each changed line is announced as "Added: [content]" or "Removed: [content]", which is generally more accessible than the web diff table on small screens.

7. Working with Issues

Filing an Issue

1. Navigate to the repository
2. Tap Issues → the + button or New Issue
3. Fill in the title and body
4. Optionally assign labels, assignees, and milestone - each is a tappable field
5. Tap Submit

Finding Your Issues

• Pull Requests tab → Created by you or Assigned to you filters
• For issues: Home feed shows recent activity; or navigate to a specific repository → Issues → filter by Assignee, Label, or Author

8. What Mobile Does Well vs. Desktop

Task	Mobile	Desktop
Triage notifications	Excellent - linear list, swipe actions	Good
Quick review / approve a PR	Good	Good
Writing long PR descriptions	Fair - small keyboard	Better
Reviewing large diffs	Fair - simplified view	Better
Filing a simple issue	Good	Good
Complex issue templates	Fair	Better
Managing labels and milestones	Good	Good
Reading code	Fair - no syntax highlighting	Better
Running Codespace / editing code	Not supported	Supported

Best use of GitHub Mobile: notification triage, quick approvals and comments, catching up on activity between sessions. For writing substantial code, descriptions, or reviewing complex diffs, use the web or VS Code.

9. Common Issues and Workarounds

VoiceOver skips some PR descriptions

Long PR descriptions with images, tables, or embedded videos may not read cleanly. Open the PR in Safari instead - tap the … menu → Open in Browser.

TalkBack does not announce new notifications badge

The badge count on the Notifications tab updates live but may not be announced. Navigate directly to the Notifications tab to get the current count read aloud.

The keyboard covers the comment field

Usual iOS/Android behavior - scroll up slightly after the keyboard appears, or rotate to landscape mode to gain more visible space.

Can't find the Submit button after writing a review

Scroll down past the text field; buttons are below the keyboard dismiss area. On iOS, tap elsewhere to dismiss the keyboard first, then scroll to Submit.

GitHub Mobile crashes or freezes

Force close the app and reopen. If the problem persists, sign out and back in via Profile → Settings → Sign out.

Return to: Resources | Appendix B - Screen Reader Cheat Sheet | Appendix A - Glossary