- Success Criterion 2.2.1
- Conformance level A
- W3C reference F40
Page Auto-Redirects on a Timer With No Way to Stop It
2.2.1 — Timing Adjustable
Scenario
Setting
A podcast app's episode list
What’s wrong
The page uses a timed auto-redirect (meta refresh) — users are moved to another page before they may have finished reading.
Example
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="15;url=/episodes/latest">Why it matters
A listener reading show notes gets yanked to the latest-episode page mid-read, losing their spot in the list.
How to test
Check the page source for a meta http-equiv="refresh" tag with a nonzero time value: this fails if the user has no way to adjust or turn it off.
How to fix
Let users choose when to navigate instead of forcing a timed jump.
<!-- Remove the timed refresh entirely -->
<a href="/episodes/latest">See the latest episode</a>Outcome
A listener finishes reading the episode description at their own pace before choosing where to go next.
Who is affected
Screen reader users and slow readers lose their place when the browser jumps pages without warning.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
- Technique Related technique (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Page That Auto-Reloads and Resets the User’s Position
- Server Redirect Timeout With No Warning or Way to Extend It
- Session Expiring With No Warning and No Way to Extend It
- Session Warning That Gives Users Less Than 20 Seconds to Respond
- Session Extension Allowed Fewer Than the Required 10 Times
- Timeout Adjustment Option Set Below the Required 10x Default