- Success Criterion 1.4.2
- Conformance level A
- W3C reference F23
Page Audio That Autoplays Past 3 Seconds With No Control
1.4.2 — Audio Control
Scenario
Setting
A car-rental site's checkout flow
What’s wrong
Sound starts playing automatically, lasts longer than 3 seconds, and there is no way to turn it off or lower it separately.
Example
<audio src="booking-confirmed.mp3" autoplay loop></audio>
<!-- plays a 15-second jingle on the checkout confirmation screen, no controls attribute, no stop button -->Why it matters
A renter finalizing a booking at their desk is startled by a looping jingle they can't silence without closing the whole tab.
How to test
Load the page and time any audio that starts automatically: if it plays over 3 seconds with no visible stop/pause/volume control, it fails.
How to fix
Drop autoplay entirely, or if sound must play automatically, give it a visible stop and volume control right on the page.
<audio src="booking-confirmed.mp3" controls></audio>Outcome
The renter hears the confirmation chime once, then reads their booking details without competing noise.
Who is affected
Screen reader users, whose speech output is drowned out by the audio, and anyone in a quiet shared workspace.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
- Technique Related technique (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Autoplaying Video or Audio With No Way to Pause It
- Background Music That Autostarts With No Visible Player
- Autoplaying Hero Video With Sound and No Pause Button
- Embedded Ad or Carousel iframe That Starts Playing Audio
- Audio That Starts on a Single-Page-App Route Change
- Looping Notification Sound With No Way to Turn It Off