AUDIO with no description Screen reader compatibility
Last updated: May 20, 2018
Expected Result: causes problems in some screen readers
Actual Result: causes problems in 26 screen reader / browser combinations
For expected failures, the results show which AT combos the failures affect. Results are recorded from the user's viewpoint, so describe the user impact of authoring errors.
Code used for this test:
<audio>
<source type='audio/mp3' src='harpsicord.mp3'></source>
</audio>
Change History
Last updated: May 20, 2018
NVDA with IE Causes problems from NVDA 2015.2 to NVDA 2017.3
NVDA with FF Causes problems from NVDA 2015.2 to NVDA 2017.3
JAWS with IE Causes problems from JAWS 13.0.852 to JAWS 17.0.2619
JAWS with FF Causes problems from JAWS 13.0.852 to JAWS 17.0.2619
VoiceOver OS X Causes problems from VoiceOver OSX 10.10 to VoiceOver OSX 10.12
VoiceOver iOS Causes problems from VoiceOver iOS 8.3 to VoiceOver iOS 10.3
WindowEyes with IE Causes problems from WindowEyes 8.4 to WindowEyes 9.2
Dolphin with IE Causes problems in Dolphin SR 15.05
SaToGo with IE Causes problems in SaToGo 3.4.96.0
Screen reader | Browser | Mode | Notes | What the user hears |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | FF60 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | FF48 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | FF38 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | FF48 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | FF41 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | FF38 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | FF38 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | FF38 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | No description of non-text content | Audio start. Group start audio. Group end. Audio end. |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | Safari 10.1.2 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | Safari 9.1.2 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | Safari 8.0.6 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | Safari iOS 10.3 | Touch | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | Safari iOS 9.1 | Touch | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | Safari iOS 8.3 | Touch | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists | |
![]() | IE11 | Reading | Nothing voiced for audio - no indication it exists |
Test notes
All tests were carried out with screen reader factory settings. JAWS in particular has a wide variety of settings controlling exactly what gets spoken.
Screen readers allow users to interact in different modes, and can produce very different results in each mode. The modes used in these tests are:
- Reading Content read using the «read next» command in a screen reader
- Tabbing Content read using the «tab» key in a screen reader
- Heading Content read using the «next heading» key in a screen reader
- Touch Content read when touching an area of screen on a mobile device
In the «What the user hears» column:
- Commas represent short pauses in screen reader voicing
- Full Stops represent places where voicing stops, and the «read next» or «tab» or «next heading» command is pressed again
- Ellipsis … represent a long pause in voicing
- (Brackets) represent voicing that requires a keystroke to hear