WCAG for mobile apps: what applies and how to test on Android and iOS

Many shops and services have an app next to their website, and the question comes up quickly: does WCAG apply to mobile apps? Short answer: WCAG was written for web content, but its criteria are used for apps too. The W3C publishes guidance on how to apply them, and the European standard EN 301 549 has a chapter for software that names mobile applications. This page explains which documents matter and how to test an app with the tools from Google and Apple.

One thing up front: Pandus checks websites, including the mobile version of a website, not native iOS or Android apps. For the app part, this page points you to the platform tools. This is general information, not legal advice.

Is there a WCAG for mobile?

There is no separate standard. The W3C says plainly that it does not have separate guidelines for mobile accessibility. Instead:

• WCAG 2.2 covers web pages and web applications, including content used on mobile devices. A mobile website or a web app in a phone browser is simply web content.
• WCAG2ICT — Guidance on Applying WCAG 2 to Non-Web Information and Communications Technologies — explains how WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 apply to non-web documents and software. It is a W3C Group Note from December 2025 and is informative: it says it does not set requirements and is not a standard.
• WCAG2Mobile — Guidance on Applying WCAG 2.2 to Mobile Applications — is a Group Draft Note from May 2025, still a work in progress. It covers native, mobile web and hybrid apps and builds on the older note Mobile Accessibility: How WCAG 2.0 and Other W3C/WAI Guidelines Apply to Mobile. It is also informative, not normative.

So WCAG itself does not change for apps. The notes explain, criterion by criterion, how terms written for the web — such as "web page" or "set of web pages" — can be read for software, and where a criterion needs a different reading or does not apply.

EN 301 549: chapter 11 for software

In the European Union, the technical reference for ICT accessibility is EN 301 549. Its structure separates content types:

• Chapter 9 — Web. Web pages. A note in the standard says that web applications, including mobile web applications, are covered by its broad definition of a web page.
• Chapter 10 — Non-web documents.
• Chapter 11 — Software. Its general clause lists platform software, software with a user interface, authoring tools, assistive technology and mobile applications.

Clauses 11.1 to 11.4 follow the WCAG principles — perceivable, operable, understandable, robust — for software, and further clauses add requirements of their own, such as 11.5 Interoperability with assistive technology and 11.7 User preferences. WCAG2ICT also mentions that EN 301 549 states 2.4.2 Page Titled and 3.1.2 Language of Parts do not apply to non-web software. Chapter 5, Generic requirements, applies to apps as well.

Whether a law requires your app to be accessible depends on who you are and what you sell. Our EAA guide explains the European Accessibility Act, which uses EN 301 549 as its technical reference.

The WCAG 2.2 criteria that matter most in apps

All A and AA criteria are relevant, but these come up again and again in app reviews:

How to test accessibility on Android

Google's testing guide combines automated and manual checks:

1. Accessibility Scanner. A free app from Google Play. Turn it on under Settings → Accessibility → Accessibility Scanner, open your app and tap Snapshot for one screen or Record for a flow. It suggests improvements for content labels, touch target size, clickable items and text and image contrast. It needs Android 9.0 or later, and Google says it is not a replacement for manual testing.
2. TalkBack. Android's built-in screen reader. Swipe right and left through every element: is each one announced with a clear name and purpose, can you reach all of them, are temporary messages read aloud?
3. Automated UI tests. From Compose 1.8.0, the Accessibility Test Framework can run inside Compose UI tests: add the ui-test-junit4-accessibility dependency and call enableAccessibilityChecks() on the test rule. The checks cover missing labels, colour contrast, small touch targets and traversal order.

Testing in the Android emulator. Emulators do not come with TalkBack installed. Google's codelab advises choosing an emulator image that includes the Play Store and installing the Android Accessibility Suite from there. Google also notes that the Accessibility Test Framework in Android Studio cannot detect issues that only occur when the app runs on a device, so test on a real phone before release.

How to test accessibility on iOS

1. Accessibility Inspector. Open it in Xcode via Xcode → Open Developer Tool → Accessibility Inspector. Apple describes it as a tool to display, query and test accessibility information for the elements of your app, and to audit for issues such as clipped text, unlabeled elements, text size and colour contrast.
2. VoiceOver on a device. Apple's testing guide says to install the app on a physical device, since VoiceOver isn't available in Simulator. Turn it on under Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver, and use the screen curtain to test without seeing the screen.
3. Automated audits in UI tests. Apple's guide also points to adding accessibility audits to your UI tests.

So for "test accessibility in the iOS Simulator": you can inspect and audit with Accessibility Inspector, but a real screen reader test needs an iPhone or iPad.

What Pandus covers, and what not

Pandus checks websites: every page of a site each week, with the axe-core engine in a real browser, against WCAG 2.2 A and AA. That includes problems that hurt mobile visitors of your site, such as a viewport that blocks zooming or touch targets that are too small. It does not test native iOS or Android apps, and it does not test the screens of a hybrid app inside its app shell.

If your customers buy both on the website and in the app, check the website with our free WCAG checker or a free check, and test the app with the platform tools above. The manual steps for websites are in how to test WCAG. Our checks are an automated check, not a full audit, and not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Does WCAG apply to mobile apps?

WCAG is written for web content, but its criteria can be applied to native apps. The W3C explains how in two informative notes, WCAG2ICT and the draft WCAG2Mobile, and EN 301 549 contains requirements for software, including mobile applications, in chapter 11.

Is there a separate W3C standard for mobile accessibility?

No. The W3C says it does not have separate guidelines for mobile accessibility. WCAG covers web content on mobile devices, and the notes explain how to apply it to native and hybrid apps.

How do I test accessibility on Android?

Use Accessibility Scanner from Google Play for automated suggestions, TalkBack for a screen reader test, and the Accessibility Test Framework in Compose UI tests from Compose 1.8.0. Scanner does not replace manual testing.

Can I test VoiceOver in the iOS Simulator?

No. Apple says VoiceOver is not available in the Simulator, so install the app on a physical device for a screen reader test. Accessibility Inspector in Xcode helps you inspect and audit elements.

Does Pandus test mobile apps?

No. Pandus checks websites, including the mobile version of a website, but not native iOS or Android apps. For apps use the platform tools described on this page.

Sources

• W3C WAI, Mobile Accessibility at W3C: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/mobile/
• W3C, WCAG2ICT (Group Note, December 2025): https://www.w3.org/TR/wcag2ict-22/
• W3C, Guidance on Applying WCAG 2.2 to Mobile Applications (WCAG2Mobile, Group Draft Note, May 2025): https://www.w3.org/TR/wcag2mobile-22/
• ETSI, EN 301 549 V3.2.1, clauses 9 and 11: https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_en/301500_301599/301549/03.02.01_60/en_301549v030201p.pdf
• Android Developers, Test your app's accessibility: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/accessibility/testing
• Android Developers, Compose accessibility testing: https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/compose/accessibility/testing
• Android Developers, Accessibility in Jetpack Compose codelab (TalkBack on an emulator): https://developer.android.com/codelabs/jetpack-compose-accessibility
• Google, Get started with Accessibility Scanner: https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6376570
• Apple Developer, Accessibility Inspector: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/accessibility/accessibility-inspector
• Apple Developer, Performing accessibility testing for your app: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/accessibility/performing-accessibility-testing-for-your-app