Accessibility] Screen reader issues: Unlabeled buttons and video player navigation improvements

[MUHAMMED4342]

Guidelines

• I have encountered this bug in the latest release of FreeTube.
• I have encountered this bug in the official downloads of FreeTube. The only official downloads are from the https://freetubeapp.io website, the FreeTubeApp/FreeTube GitHub repository and the io.freetubeapp.FreeTube flatpak from Flathub.
• I have searched the issue tracker for open and closed issues that are similar to the bug report I want to file, without success.
• I have searched the documentation for information that matches the description of the bug I want to file, without success.
• This issue contains only one bug.
• I have read and agree to follow the rules.

Describe the bug

First of all, thank you for developing FreeTube; it runs surprisingly well for an Electron app with a screen reader. However, I encountered a couple of specific accessibility issues regarding button labels and player navigation.

Note for developers who may not be familiar with screen readers: A screen reader is an assistive technology used by blind and visually impaired users to read interface elements aloud. Anyone can test this on Windows by pressing Win + Ctrl + Enter to turn on the built-in Windows Narrator, or by using third-party tools like NVDA. When navigating using the Tab key, focus lands on interactive elements so they can be read aloud.

Here are the issues found while navigating with the Tab key:

1. Unlabeled button after search input: The interactive button located right after the search input field lacks an accessible label (aria-label or title), making it completely silent or announced only as "Button" without any context.
2. Incorrect/Single-letter label for the Account menu button: The button that opens the account menu is announced only as "t" by screen readers instead of a descriptive name like "Account Menu".

Feature Request / Improvement:

• Video Player Structure: Currently, navigating the video player controls can be cumbersome. It would greatly improve accessibility if the video player could be structured as an embedded object or landmark (similar to standard YouTube embeds). This would allow screen reader users to easily jump to and control the player using quick-navigation shortcuts.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Enable a screen reader (such as Windows Narrator or NVDA) on Windows 10.
2. Open FreeTube and press the Tab key to navigate through the interface.
3. Notice the unlabeled button right after the search bar, and check how the account menu button is announced as "t".

Expected Behavior

All interactive buttons should have proper accessible labels (such as aria-label) so screen reader users can identify them correctly. Also, the video player should be structured accessibly to make quick navigation easier.

Issue Labels

accessibility issue

FreeTube Version

0.25.2-beta

Operating System Version

Windows 10

Installation Method

Portable

Primary API used

Local API

Last Known Working FreeTube Version (If Any)

No response

Upload screenshots or videos

No response

Additional Information

Screen Reader used: NVDA (2026.1) / Windows Narrator

Nightly Build

• I have encountered this bug in the latest official nightly build, do not check this box if you are using an unofficial or custom build.

[radmorecameron]

Thanks for opening this bug report 🙂 it's very helpful and will allow us to make FreeTube more accessible. If you find more accessibility issues, please, do not hesitate to share them. I can't give a timeline on when these issues will be fixed but I'll take a look at fixing these issues as soon as I can.