Hi Ashutosh, Thank you for raising these important issues regarding accessibility with Airtel. I fully support your efforts and appreciate you taking the initiative to address these concerns directly with their representatives.
I would like to add a general accessibility problem I've encountered with the Airtel Thanks app, which extends beyond the specific issues you've already mentioned. I've noticed that many buttons within the app lack proper labels. For users who rely on screen readers like TalkBack, this means that these buttons are often read out simply as "button, button," without any descriptive text. This makes it impossible to identify their function, whether they relate to an offer, a recharge option, an advertisement for an OTT platform, or other features. This significant lack of proper labeling severely impacts the navigability and usability of the app for blind users relying on TalkBack. Additionally, I've observed that the focus or cursor frequently jumps unexpectedly to different parts of the screen, further hindering the user experience and making it difficult to interact with the app effectively. I hope this additional detail is helpful for you in compiling a comprehensive list of accessibility issues for the concerned team at Airtel. Best regards, Vikas On Fri, 28 Nov, 2025, 11:47 pm Ashutosh Singhal, < [email protected]> wrote: > I attended the India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF) 2025 yesterday and > today. India IGF is a multi-stakeholder platform that brings together > representatives from the government, private sector, technical community, > academia, civil society, and youth to discuss key public policy issues > shaping the Indian Internet ecosystem through panel discussions and > workshops. > The Chief Guest was Shri Jitin Prasada, Hon’ble Minister of State, > Ministry of Commerce & Industry and Electronics & Information Technology, > Government of India. > Several senior government officials were present, including the Hon’ble > Joint Secretary of MeitY, the Chief Scientist of MeitY, and many others. > High-level executives from major companies such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, > NIXI, and Airtel etc also participated. > As I have repeatedly seen accessibility issues reported about the Airtel > Thanks app on social media, I raised this concern. I highlighted that > although the Accessibility rules mandates accessibility teams within > private companies for Persons with Disabilities, many companies still do > not comply—including Airtel. Many of my friends with disabilities have been > facing accessibility challenges in the Airtel Thanks app for a long time, > and customer care has been unable to provide any solution. > I asked: How can this issue be fixed? > A senior representative from Airtel clamed that Airtel does have a nodal > officer for disability-related accessibility issues, and she assured me > that she would connect me with the right person. > Today, I received a call from Airtel. I personally do not use any Airtel > service, so I informed him that I would compile and share the list of > accessibility issues reported by the community. I also raised accessibility > problems faced by Persons with Disabilities when applying for new SIM > cards, especially due to mandatory biometric authentication, which creates > challenges for persons with visual impairments. He assured me that if I > provide the details, he will talk with the Store management and work toward > fixing the issues. I also asked whether Airtel has its own OTT platform. He > clarified that Airtel does not have a standalone OTT platform, but it > offers Airtel Xstream Play, an app that aggregates content from multiple > OTT services. I then asked whether the app supports audio description for > users with visual impairments; however, he was not sure and said he would > check. > In a nutshell: > If you or anyone you know is facing any accessibility issues related to > Airtel—especially the Airtel Thanks app—please share them with me. I will > compile and forward them directly to the concerned team. > — Ashutosh Singhal > > -- > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of > the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "AccessIndia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/CAFL6VgKvecXRGzjo%3DV91_XzxsEaneARY%3DdDBbxwRgwZQ%2B53uEA%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/CAFL6VgKvecXRGzjo%3DV91_XzxsEaneARY%3DdDBbxwRgwZQ%2B53uEA%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/CA%2BwBsu%2BXNXKvE_84xQGMmmiJp4Mjwdux%3DyMmsNUtGtFY9JOUZg%40mail.gmail.com.
