React Native iOS: Elements disappear from accessibility tree after navigating back (Maestro cannot find by testID/text)

[MonikaAnkoliya]

Is there an existing issue for this?

Steps to reproduce

appId: com.example.app

---

• launchApp

• tapOn:
  id: "open_details"

• tapOn:
  id: "go_back"

• assertVisible:
  id: "item_title"

Actual results

After navigating back to Screen A:

Maestro cannot find the element

Maestro Studio shows "element not in the tree"

Selectors like testID, text, and accessibilityLabel do not work

The element is still visible in the UI

However:

Scrolling using coordinates still works

Tap by coordinates works

This indicates the element is rendered visually but missing from the accessibility hierarchy used by Maestro.

Expected results

After navigating back to Screen A, Maestro should still be able to detect and interact with elements using:

testID

text selectors

accessibility labels

The element should appear in the Maestro hierarchy tree and allow interactions such as:

• tapOn:
  id: "element_id"

• assertVisible:
  id: "element_id"

About app

About the App

Framework: React Native

Navigation Library: React Navigation

Platform tested: iOS

Testing tool: Maestro

App UI details

The screen contains components rendered with React Native views.

Elements have testID and accessibilityLabel.

Some elements are inside lists (e.g., FlatList / ScrollView) if applicable.

After navigating to another screen and returning, the UI appears visually correct but elements are missing from the accessibility hierarchy.

Additional Notes

The problem happens only on iOS.

The same Maestro flow works correctly on Android.

In Maestro Studio, the element does not appear in the hierarchy tree after navigating back.

Interactions using coordinates still work.

About environment

Testing tool: Maestro
Version: 2.3.0

App framework: React Native
Version: 0.78.2

Platform: iOS
Version: 17.0

Device(s) tested:

iPhone 15 Simulator

iPhone 15 Real Device

Result:

Issue occurs on both simulator and real device ❌

Android tests work correctly ✅
The element is visible in the UI but does not appear in the Maestro accessibility hierarchy after navigating back to the screen.

Logs

Logs

<!-- Replace this line with your logs. *DO NOT* remove the backticks! -->

Maestro version

2.3.0

How did you install Maestro?

install script (https://get.maestro.mobile.dev)

Anything else?

No response

[linear]

MAE-415

[Fishbowler]

iPhone 15 Real Device

Are you sure?

[charliewwdev]

I've been working on a similar tool (flutter-skill) that deals with accessibility trees for AI-powered testing, and this is a common issue with React Native on iOS.

The problem you're describing - where elements are visually present but missing from the accessibility hierarchy after navigation - is typically caused by React Navigation not properly rebuilding the accessibility tree when screens are popped from the stack.

Potential workarounds:

1. Force accessibility refresh - Try adding a small delay + accessibility refresh after navigation:

2. Use accessibilityViewIsModal - Sometimes setting this on modals helps iOS rebuild the tree properly.

3. Alternative selector strategy - Instead of relying solely on testID, combine with other selectors or use text-based selectors as fallback.

Why this happens:
React Native on iOS uses a different accessibility bridge than Android. When navigating back, the accessibility tree isn't always synchronized with the visual tree, especially with complex navigation stacks.

We've seen this across multiple RN projects. The fact that coordinate-based interactions work confirms the element is rendered - it's just not exposed to accessibility services.

Long-term fix:
This might require a React Navigation configuration change or waiting for RN to improve iOS accessibility tree synchronization. Some teams have had success with react-native-screens with specific iOS configurations.

Have you tried testing with react-native-screens enabled/disabled? That sometimes affects how the accessibility tree is built.

---

For context: I maintain flutter-skill (AI-powered E2E testing with accessibility tree support for 10+ platforms). This RN iOS quirk is definitely a pain point we've worked around.