Make UIAlertController accessibilityLabel different from title

Question

I'm hinting some strings in my app for VoiceOver. I'm expanding some abbreviations, like "opp" → "opposite" and "ave" → "avenue", so that VoiceOver pronounces them correctly. However, I want to use one of these strings as the title of a UIAlertController (iOS 9+). I want to set the title to the unmodified string, but the accessibilityLabel to the pronounceable string. Is this possible without traversing the subviews, which is fragile so I'd rather avoid it?

Answer 1

It appears that this is not possible. I've filed a radar.

Answer 2

Although this approach doesn't satisfy the OP's desire to avoid traversing the subviews it may be useful to someone:

import UIKit

class ViewController: UIViewController {

    override func viewDidAppear(_ animated: Bool) {
        super.viewDidAppear(animated)

        let titleText = NSLocalizedString("File eBill", comment: "File eBill Header Title")
        let userMessage = NSLocalizedString("The eBill could not be filed.", comment: "File eBill Error")
        let alert = UIAlertController(title: titleText, message: userMessage, preferredStyle: UIAlertController.Style.alert )

        if let titleLabel = alert.view.firstLabel(with: titleText) {
            let pronunciationTitle = NSLocalizedString("File e-Bill", comment: "File eBill pronunciation")
            titleLabel.accessibilityLabel = pronunciationTitle
        }
        if let messageLabel = alert.view.firstLabel(with: userMessage) {
            let pronunciationMessage = NSLocalizedString("The e-Bill could not be filed.", comment: "File eBill error pronunciation")
            messageLabel.accessibilityLabel = pronunciationMessage
        }

        alert.addAction(UIAlertAction(title: "Done", style: UIAlertAction.Style.default, handler: { (action) -> Void in
            print("Done")
        }))
        self.present(alert, animated: true, completion: nil)
    }

}

extension UIView {

    /// Returns a UILabel that matches the text input if such exists within the view.
    /// Probes recursively and exhaustively.
    func firstLabel(with text: String) -> UILabel? {
        var result: UILabel?
        for view in subviews {
            if let label: UILabel = view as? UILabel,
               label.text == text {
                result = label
                break
            } else {
                if let deeper = view.firstLabel(with: text) {
                    result = deeper
                    break
                }
            }
        }
        return result
    }
}