WCAG autoplay video
Autoplay is where a video is set to start playing as soon as the web page loads its best to avoid this. Show
Generally, we recommend that videos not play automatically. Fortunately, embedded video players from YouTube or Vimeo do not play automatically by default. And browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari now usually block videos from playing automatically, even if the video itself is set to autoplay. How autoplay reduces accessibilitySome people can find a video clip that starts automatically to be so distracting that it prevents them from being able to focus on anything else on the page or to listen to their screen reader. Unexpected video or audio can be disruptive for people:
How to disable autoplayIn most cases, you do not need to do anything to prevent videos from playing automatically. This is because:
However, there are some situations where YouTube or Vimeo videos could start playing automatically, depending on things like the users media viewing habits or browser settings. If you want to be sure that a video will not play automatically for:
Examples of codeVideo embedded in anSetting the autoplay parameter to 0 ensures that the video will not play automatically when the page loads. Video embedded using the elementNo autoplay attribute ispresent. Meeting the Web Accessibility StandardWhen a video does not play automatically, it meets the following WCAG Success Criteria: If a video is set to autoplayIf a videois set to play automatically, you must provide the user with the option to stop it if the clip:
How to enable controls to pause or stop the videoControls for videos embedded in anBy default, YouTube and Vimeo videos include controls for pausing or stopping the video. Other video players might behave differently, so its important to check that they provide such controls. Controls for videos embedded using the HTML elementIf you haven't created your own controls for the HTML element, make sure that the controls attribute is present. This tells the browser to provide controls for things like starting and stopping the video. Example of codeThe presence of the autoplay attribute tells the browser to automatically start playing the video when the page is loaded. As noted above, its recommended that you do not use the autoplay attribute. The presence of the controls attribute ensures that users will have an easy way to stop and start the video. Meeting the Web Accessibility StandardIf a video is set to play automatically and controls are provided to pause or stop the video, it meets the same WCAG Success Criteria as a video that is set not to play automatically: However, to prevent a negative experience for some users, as described above, its best not to set your video to play automatically. Testing that controls exist to pause or stop the videoIf you need to set your video to play automatically, check that:
More informationRead more about accessibility issues with media that plays automatically. F93: Failure of Success Criterion 1.4.2 for absence of a way to pause or stop an HTML5 media element that autoplays W3C Utility links and page information |