1.4.2 Audio Control
Audio that plays automatically for more than 3 seconds must have a way to pause or stop it, or to control its volume separately.
Level APrinciple 1: Perceivable
What does it mean?
Sound that starts on its own makes it hard for screen reader users to hear their own software. If any audio plays automatically for more than three seconds, there must be an easy way to pause or stop it, or to change its volume independently of the system volume.
The best solution is not to autoplay audio at all. Because this can disrupt use of the whole page, a failure here affects the entire page, not just the media.
Who does it help?
- Blind people whose screen reader is drowned out
- People with attention or concentration difficulties
- People with hearing aids or hearing sensitivity
- Everyone in a quiet office or public place
Common failures
- Background music starting when the page loads, without a stop button
- A hero video with sound that autoplays
- A pause control that is hard to find or not reachable by keyboard
How we test it
- axe-core Automatic: axe-core finds typical violations. A violation is pre-filled as “fails”.
- evidence Evidence: our scanner collects material such as screenshots, lists and measurements.
Test question: Audio that plays automatically for more than 3 seconds needs pause/stop or volume control.
A person decides every criterion. No criterion ever passes automatically.
How to fix it
<video src="hero.mp4" autoplay loop></video><video src="hero.mp4" autoplay muted loop playsinline controls></video>The video starts muted and shows controls, so no sound plays unless the user chooses it.
Practical tips
- Place any audio control at the very start of the page so it is found quickly.
Guides and patterns on this
Official source
How does your website do on this criterion?
The free check tests your home page automatically; the audit decides all 55 criteria.