Note: In the standard integrations (<auro-select>, <auro-combobox>), keyboard focus stays on the parent trigger/input — it does not move into the menu. The parent captures keys and drives the menu, and the active option is announced via aria-activedescendant on the trigger rather than by moving DOM focus between options. The focus-on-the-menu behavior described alongside the standalone case below only applies when an author makes <auro-menu> itself focusable (for example, tabindex="0").

Interactive Announcements Menu Container

When the listbox is exposed — the parent's dropdown opens, or a standalone focusable menu receives focus — VoiceOver announces:

1. Role: "list box" — set on the root <auro-menu>; nested menus use role="group" with aria-label="submenu".
2. Item count: The number of visible options (e.g., "5 items")
3. Multi-select: When multiSelect is set on the root menu, aria-multiselectable="true" is exposed so VoiceOver announces the listbox as multi-selectable.
4. Loading: While loading is set, aria-busy="true" is exposed so VoiceOver signals that the option set is not yet stable.

Menu Options

Each auro-menuoption announces the following when the parent field points at it (via aria-activedescendant) or when the user reads through the listbox:

1. Label: The option's text content
2. Role: "option"
3. Position: Position in the list (e.g., "3 of 5") — when the menu is used inside <auro-select> (or another host that stamps them), each option receives aria-setsize and aria-posinset. Standalone <auro-menu> does not set these attributes itself; positional announcements outside a select/combobox host rely on VoiceOver's own listbox item count.
4. Selected state: "selected" if aria-selected="true" is set on the option
5. Disabled state: "dimmed" if aria-disabled="true" is set on the option

Selection

In a select or combobox context, the parent captures Enter (and Tab) on its trigger/input and commits the active option through the menu; the menu itself does not receive the key. When the selection is committed:

• VoiceOver announces the option label followed by "selected"
• In multi-select mode, previously selected options remain selected and their state is preserved

A standalone focusable menu (see the note at the top of this page) handles Enter and Tab on its own host, producing the same selection announcement.

Navigation Workflow

In the standard select/combobox integrations, focus remains on the parent trigger/input throughout — the menu is a visually presented listbox the parent points into, not a place focus travels to:

1. Open the listbox: Activating the trigger (or typing in a combobox) exposes the menu; VoiceOver announces the listbox role and item count
2. Navigate options: Arrow Down/Up keys pressed on the trigger move the active option; aria-activedescendant updates and VoiceOver announces each option's label, role, and position
3. Select an option: Enter (captured by the parent) commits the active option; VoiceOver confirms the selection
4. Exit: Escape and Tab are handled by the parent — Escape closes the listbox, and Tab commits the active option before moving focus to the next element in the tab sequence

A standalone focusable menu follows the same active-option model, except focus is on the menu host and the menu handles Arrow, Enter, and Tab directly. See the menu's key events documentation for the full standalone key table.

Nested Menus

When a nested auro-menu is encountered, VoiceOver announces a new listbox context. Each nested menu maintains its own option count and position tracking.