• Success Criterion 1.4.2
  • Conformance level A

Autoplaying Hero Video With Sound and No Pause Button

1.4.2 — Audio Control

Scenario

Setting

A video-conferencing app's meeting controls

What’s wrong

Auto-playing hero/ambient video with an audio track (not muted) and no visible pause.

Example 

<video class="lobby-hero" autoplay loop><source src="waiting-room-promo.mp4"></video>
<!-- promo video plays with its own audio track while participants wait for the host, no controls, not muted -->

Why it matters

A participant joining the meeting lobby early gets promotional audio blasting over their conferencing app before the call even starts.

How to test

Load the page: if a hero/ambient video with an unmuted audio track autoplays and there's no visible pause button, it fails.

How to fix

Mute autoplaying hero video by default and let people opt into sound with a clearly labeled control.

<video class="lobby-hero" autoplay loop muted><source src="waiting-room-promo.mp4"></video>
<button aria-label="Play lobby video with sound">Unmute</button>

Outcome

The participant waits in a silent lobby and only hears the promo if they choose to unmute it.

Who is affected

Anyone joining from a quiet office or a call already in progress on another line, plus screen reader users navigating the lobby.

Learn more

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