Audio or video plays sound automatically
Automated check no-autoplay-audio, run with axe-core
- WCAG
- 1.4.2 Audio Control (Level A)
- Severity
- Serious: completable, but painful
- Typical effort
- Quick win, under 1 hour
- Category
- Media
Who this affects
Screen reader users, whose speech output is drowned out, and people with attention or anxiety conditions.
Why it matters
Sound that starts on its own and lasts more than three seconds makes the page unusable with a screen reader until it has been found and stopped.
How to fix it
Do not autoplay media with sound. If you must, start it muted or put a pause control at the very top of the page.
Check your own website
The free scan tests 3 pages against WCAG 2.2 A and AA in about 30 seconds. No sign-up.