mobile

GUIDELINES 2.5

Overview

Mobile accessibility ensures that touch-based interfaces are operable for users with motor, visual, and cognitive disabilities. This covers touch target sizing, gesture alternatives, and avoiding motion-triggered interactions as the only input method.

Who is impacted

Users with motor disabilities who have limited dexterity or use assistive touch tools, users with low vision on small screens, and users who cannot perform complex gestures.

How to test

Test your site on an actual mobile device using only touch. Verify all interactive elements are large enough to tap reliably, that no functionality requires multi-finger or path-based gestures without a simpler alternative, and that the site works with iOS VoiceOver or Android TalkBack enabled.

Resources

Visit W3C Understanding Pointer Gestures and the BBC Mobile Accessibility Guidelines for detailed guidance.

Touch Target Size

Interactive elements such as buttons, links, and form inputs should have a touch target of at least 24x24 CSS pixels at minimum (2.5.8, Level AA), with 44x44 CSS pixels recommended for optimal usability. Smaller targets force users with motor impairments to tap with extreme precision, which many cannot do reliably. If the visible element is smaller, add padding to increase the tappable area without changing the visual design.

Gesture Alternatives

Any functionality that uses path-based or multi-finger gestures such as swipe, pinch, or two-finger scroll must also have a simpler single-pointer alternative (2.5.1). A swipe-to-delete action should also have a delete button. A pinch-to-zoom map should also have plus and minus buttons. This ensures users who cannot perform complex gestures can still access all functionality.

Motion and Device Actuation

If your interface responds to device motion such as shaking or tilting, that same functionality must be available through a standard UI control (2.5.4). Users who have their device mounted in a fixed position or who have tremor-related conditions cannot trigger motion events reliably. Additionally, provide an option to disable motion responses to avoid unintended triggers.