- Success Criterion 4.1.3
- Conformance level AA
4.1.3 · Status Messages
Lesson overview · Status Messages
In plain language
Status messages ('Saved', 'Loading', '3 results') must be announced by screen readers without stealing focus.
Who it affects
Screen-reader users who need spoken confirmation of saves, errors, and results.
How to check
Trigger saves, searches, errors, loaders with a screen reader running: each visible status must be spoken automatically.
Common misconception
Teams assume a visible “Saved” message is enough. Without a live region or role="status" wired to it, that message can appear and disappear without ever being announced to a screen-reader user.
Learn more
Scenarios in this lesson
- Status Update Shown Visually but Never Wired for Screen Readers
- Cart Confirmation Toast With No Live Region Announcement
- Search Result Count That Updates Silently on Every Filter
- Autosave ‘Saved’ Indicator With No Live Announcement
- Loading Spinner With No Programmatic Busy or Status State
- Error Toast With No Alert Role and No Focus Movement
- Live Region Whose Content Loads Before It’s Ready to Announce
- Status Message Conveyed Only Visually, Never Programmatically
- Character Counter That Updates Only Visually While Typing
- Multi-Step Progress Update Never Exposed to Screen Readers
- Chat Typing Indicator With No Programmatic Status Update
- Table Sort Confirmation That’s Never Announced to Anyone
- Auto-Rotating Carousel Slide Change With No Status Announcement
- Countdown Timer Update Shown Visually but Never Announced
- Single-Page App Route Change With No Announcement at All
- Quantity Stepper Value Change Never Announced to Screen Readers