`dialog` is not announced when the Popover opens (NVDA-specific)

[Vinit-Pandit]

Provide a general summary of the issue here

When we open the Popover dialog, the word dialog is not announced in NVDA.

🤔 Expected Behavior?

The label along with the role dialog should be announced when the Popover dialog opens in NVDA.

😯 Current Behavior

The word dialog is not announced when the Popover dialog opens.

💁 Possible Solution

No response

🔦 Context

No response

🖥️ Steps to Reproduce

The issue is reproducible on the Popover component: site

20260317-1354-45.1153570.1.mp4

Version

Latest

What browsers are you seeing the problem on?

Chrome

If other, please specify.

No response

What operating system are you using?

Windows 11

🧢 Your Company/Team

No response

🕷 Tracking Issue

No response

[snowystinger]

I wonder if it's deduplicating the announcement or something. The popover is labeled by the button, "Settings".
VO is announcing the dialog in both Chrome and Safari.

Have we checked if there's an NVDA bug? Can we reproduce the issue without React Aria Components?
Could it be this? nvaccess/nvda#8620

[Vinit-Pandit]

Thank you for pointing out the NVDA issue. Adding autoFocus to an interactive element allows the dialog to be read correctly. However, when focus moves to the container first, the issue does occur ( nvaccess/nvda#8620 ).

I’ve also noticed a problem on macOS: when using autoFocus, the reading focus is not updated properly if focus moves directly to the interactive element. So it can be fixed if there is delay on autoFocus

20260317-1400-22.0463732.mp4

[snowystinger]

Thanks for the additional issue. In Chrome + VO, opening the dialog with Space or Enter, it moves focus to the text input and announces it. In Safari + VO, opening the dialog with Space or Enter does move focus, but does not announce it. Instead, you must use the VO keys to open the dialog. CTRL+OPT+Space. This is a pretty common theme with Safari and VO, usually using the VO keys has better results.

[Vinit-Pandit]

Thanks for the additional issue. In Chrome + VO, opening the dialog with Space or Enter, it moves focus to the text input and announces it. In Safari + VO, opening the dialog with Space or Enter does move focus, but does not announce it. Instead, you must use the VO keys to open the dialog. CTRL+OPT+Space. This is a pretty common theme with Safari and VO, usually using the VO keys has better results.

Thank you for this.
but it still does not work with the Dialog Trigger → Popover → Dialog.
https://codesandbox.io/p/sandbox/nxd482?file=%2Fsrc%2FApp.js%3A13%2C23

When opening it using VoiceOver keys (Option + Shift + Space), the reading focus does not shift to the first interactive element( which have autoFocus ).

[snowystinger]

It's working for me, what version of MacOS (26.3.1) and Chrome (146.0.7680.154) are you on?

We'd be very reluctant to add a delay, they can cause more issues and bugs than they solve.

[Vinit-Pandit]

MACSafariNotReadingFirstElement.mp4

MAC( 26.3.1 ) , Safari and voiceOver

[snowystinger]

Safari-VO-reproduction.mov

[yihuiliao]

Screen.Recording.2026-03-26.at.10.42.11.AM.mov

this is what i'm seeing. macOS 15.2, safari 18.2

[Vinit-Pandit]

Screen.Recording.2026-03-26.at.10.42.11.AM.mov
this is what i'm seeing. macOS 15.2, safari 18.2

Yes I think this issue in the safari 26:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256161078?sortBy=rank

[snowystinger]

Thanks, I've taken that discussion and opened a bug with webkit. I'm closing this and have added the webkit issue to our tracker wiki https://github.com/adobe/react-spectrum/wiki/Tracker-for-External-Browser-Bugs,-Library-Bugs,-and-Features