Frequently Asked Questions

General

GoodMaps: Indoor Navigation App

  • Why do the instructions from the app and VoiceOver/TalkBack sometimes talk over each other?

    The Issue: Audio Overlap

    On both iOS and Android, screen reader output (like VoiceOver or TalkBack) can play at the same time as navigation instructions. This means that if you’re navigating and interact with the screen—such as tapping or swiping—your screen reader may begin speaking just as a navigation instruction plays. This overlap can make both voices difficult to understand.

    Why This Happens

    This is a current limitation of the mobile operating systems themselves, not a bug in our app. Even official apps like Apple Maps and Google Maps face this same challenge.

    Apps that provide navigation rely on system-level audio channels to deliver spoken directions. These channels do not give us control over the screen reader’s speech output, so we can’t automatically pause or lower the volume of VoiceOver or TalkBack when a navigation instruction is announced—or vice versa.

    What You Can Do

    We’ve designed our app so that you don’t need to interact with the screen while navigating, which helps minimize interruptions from the screen reader.

    To get the clearest audio guidance:

    • Avoid screen interaction during navigation unless necessary.
    • If you miss a direction, you can:
      • Tap the “Repeat Instruction” button.
      • Move your phone in any direction to get the app to try and correct your path.
      • Or wait for the app to repeat the direction automatically.

    Looking Ahead

    We know how important clear and accessible audio is—especially while navigating. Our team is continuously exploring ways to improve audio clarity within the limits of current OS behavior. If and when Apple or Google introduce system-level updates to better handle audio prioritization, we’ll be ready to adopt them.