I am writing to report a critical accessibility issue and to plead for help.
The problem:
In Firefox on macOS, the text-to-speech / read-aloud function reads out every URL in the text. When I try to listen to articles, Google answers, or AI responses, I constantly hear “https://”, “”, and long strings of characters and numbers. The actual content is drowned out. This makes the feature unusable for me.
What I have tried:
• I searched for hidden macOS settings or terminal commands to make the system ignore links – none exist.
• I attempted to create scripts (Terminal, Automator, Shortcuts) to filter URLs before speaking – many errors, very complicated, and not integrated into the normal reading function.
• I tried building a Firefox extension to filter links – installation was confusing and temporary.
• I have reset and repaired my MacBook three times, thinking the problem was my device. It was not.
My plea:
Please, please help. This is not a minor annoyance – it is a serious accessibility barrier. Please either add an option in Firefox to ignore links when reading aloud, or forward this issue to Apple so they can provide a system-wide solution. The world is bad enough; I just want to listen to text without being tortured by URLs. I am desperate. I beg every programmer who reads this: please fix this or pass it on to someone who can.
Thank you.
