Wcag: Mechanism provided by the platform AND stopping 1.4.2: Audio Control

[jake-abma]

1.4.2 Audio Control (Level A): If any audio on a Web page plays automatically for more than 3 seconds, either a mechanism is available to pause or stop the audio...

Intent is clear, also what is needed, BUT:

According to the wording/text and the definition of "mechanism" can I conclude that:

mechanism
process or technique for achieving a result

NOTE
The mechanism may be explicitly provided in the content, or may be relied upon to be provided by either the platform or by user agents, including assistive technologies.

A mechanism provided by the platform is a 'turn off audio' functionality (all devices have one) and so IF sound plays on a web application, you have the opportunity to turn it off, basically escaping this SC all along? (I can stop the sound)

ps. should this 'platform provision / ability' be ruled out and made clear in the Understanding doc?

[patrickhlauke]

A mechanism provided by the platform is a 'turn off audio' functionality (all devices have one) and so IF sound plays on a web application, you have the opportunity to turn it off, basically escaping this SC all along? (I can stop the sound)

maybe splitting hairs, but "pause or stop the audio" (on the particular page) is different from "pause or stop all audio" (for everything on the device/system) [ED: i originally had written "pause and stop all audio". unintentional, didn't mean to change to "or" to "and", as my point was not that, but the difference between "the" and "all"]. The intention is clearly the first one, reinforced by the "independently from the overall system volume level" part of the normative wording of the SC later on when talking of volume levels.

now, many browsers on desktop do offer things like audio controls for individual tabs, and some operating systems do give you access (though not very easily) to individual volume controls on a per application basis, but i don't think those are quite pervasive enough yet (and certainly not on mobile/tablet OSs)

[mraccess77]

If a browser supports a mute tab feature then use of that browser likely would meet the criteria although we still tend to flag these issues as most situation users have varied browsers on mobile and PC platforms.

[jake-abma]

@patrickhlauke

maybe splitting hairs, but "pause or stop the audio" (on the particular page) is different from "pause and stop all audio" (for everything on the device/system). The intention is clearly the first one, reinforced by the "independently from the overall system volume level" part

But this is exactly where the question comes from, the intent was clear for me all along, not for people I have in training.
'stop the audio on the particular page' is just not what it says, and the 'reinforced' is not really 'reinforcing' as there is an 'OR'.

Your comment lacks the word 'OR' which plays a big part here, separating that part from the first.

[patrickhlauke]

Your comment lacks the word 'OR' which plays a big part here, separating that part from the first.

not quite sure what you mean. unless you're pointing out my slip-up putting "pause and stop all audio" when i should have written "pause or stop all audio". my point was the emphasis/difference between "the audio" and "all audio", and i slipped up in my haste to write this. corrected now.

[jake-abma]

No @patrickhlauke I meant the "or" in the SC text after the comma:

If any audio on a Web page plays automatically for more than 3 seconds, either a mechanism is available to pause or stop the audio, OR a mechanism is available to control audio volume independently from the overall system volume level.

(did not even see your 'or' ... :-) )

[patrickhlauke]

ah, gotcha. well, this smells like another long-standing miswording. i'm fairly sure the intent originally was not to say "it's ok, users just turn their sound off altogether, that counts as a mechanism, so all web content will pass anyway".

[patrickhlauke]

wonder if this needs a normative wording tweak then rather than an understanding patch...

If any audio on a Web page plays automatically for more than 3 seconds, either a mechanism is available to pause or stop the audio, or a mechanism is available to control audio volume for the web page's audio, independently from the overall system audio / volume level.

or more explicitly

If any audio on a Web page plays automatically for more than 3 seconds, either a mechanism is available to pause or stop the audio, or a mechanism is available to control audio volume for the web page's audio. This mechanism must be independent from the overall system audio/volume level.

[bruce-usab]

+1 for a normative wording tweak, since time has proved that the current phrasing is not clear enough. But if we revisit this, I think it should be formatted as list. Here's a version that tracks closely to how 1.4.7 is structured:

For any audio on a Web page that (1) plays automatically, and (2) last for more than 3 seconds, at least one of the following is true:

• Pause or Stop: The Web page provides a mechanism to pause or stop the audio.
• Volume Control: The Web page provides a mechanism to control audio volume independently from the overall system volume level.