WCAG 1.4.2: Audio Control

How to

• Automatically stop after 3 seconds

  Audio may play automatically on a website as long as it stops by itself after no more than 3 seconds.

  Technique(s):

  • G60: Playing a sound that turns off automatically within three seconds
  

• Provide a control for the audio

  If audio plays automatically, there must be a clearly labeled, highly visible control element right at the beginning, ideally a button, that allows the user to stop the audio immediately.

  This button must be reachable via keyboard and placed at the very beginning of the tab order so that screen reader users can find it.

  Technique(s):

  • G170: Providing a control near the beginning of the web page that turns off sounds that play automatically
  

• Play audio only on request

  Recommendation!

  Do not play audio automatically, let the user decide whether the audio should be played.

  Technique(s):

  • G171: Playing sounds only on user request
  

Notes

• 

  Hint: Volume control

  If there is a way to turn down or mute the audio on a website, this control must work independently of the system’s general volume settings.

  The computer’s overall sound must not be lowered by it (otherwise screen reader users would no longer be able to hear their screen reader).