Perceivable
1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)
Recorded audio with no video, such as a podcast, needs a transcript. Recorded video with no sound needs a transcript or an audio track that describes what happens.
Who it helps
Deaf and hard-of-hearing people for audio, and blind people for silent video.
Failures we see most
- Podcast episodes with no transcript
- Silent product animations with no description
How it gets tested
Our scanner runs this axe-core check for 1.2.1:
| Check | What it looks for |
|---|---|
audio-caption | <audio> elements must have a captions track |
Automated checks can find failures of 1.2.1, but they cannot confirm that a page passes. A specialist still reviews it by hand.
How we fix it
A specialist fixes this in your site's code or content, and we re-test the page before you sign off.
Official text: W3C, Understanding 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded). Checks listed from axe-core 4.14.0.
Related criteria
Does your site fail 1.2.1?
Our free scan checks up to 50 of your pages and tells you which criteria fail and where.