CSS media query with @media aural Screen reader compatibility

Expected Result: causes problems in some screen readers

Actual Result: causes problems in 58 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.

@media aural is deprecated in CSS Media Queries Level 4 and not supported by any screen reader.

There has been conflicting information in various CSS specifications on the 'speech' and 'aural' media types.

• CSS 2.0 - Recommendation - May 1998 introduced the 'aural' media type for speech devices including screen readers
• CSS 2.1 - Recommendation - June 2011 deprecated the 'aural' media type and introduced the reserved 'speech' media type (but didn't specify its behavior)
• Media Queries - Recommendation - June 2012 no change to the CSS 2.1 'aural' (deprecated) and 'speech' (reserved) media types
• Media Queries Level 4 - Candidate Recommendation - September 2017 says 'aural' never matches and 'speech' matches screen readers
• Media Queries Level 4 - Candidate Recommendation - July 2020 says 'screen' matches screen readers, 'speech' and 'aural' never match

Code used for this test:

		<style>
			div.aural-query-fail
			{
				display: block;
				color: black;
				background-color: red;
			}

			div.aural-query-pass
			{
				display: none;
				color: black;
				background-color: green;
			}

			/* change display state using aural media type */
			@media aural
			{
			div.aural-query-fail { display: none; }
			div.aural-query-pass { display: block; }
			}
		</style>

		<div class='aural-query-fail'>
			Aural Media Query - Fail
		</div>
		<div class='aural-query-pass'>
			Aural Media Query - Pass
		</div>		
	

Change History

Last updated: December 12, 2023

• NVDA with Chrome Causes problems from NVDA 2017.3 to NVDA 2023.3
• NVDA with IE Causes problems from NVDA 2017.3 to NVDA 2019.2
• NVDA with FF Causes problems from NVDA 2017.3 to NVDA 2023.3
• JAWS with Chrome Causes problems from JAWS 2018.1811.2 to JAWS 2023.2311.34
• JAWS with IE Causes problems from JAWS 17.0.2619 to JAWS 2019.1912.1
• JAWS with FF Causes problems from JAWS 17.0.2619 to JAWS 2023.2311.34
• VoiceOver macOS Causes problems from VoiceOver macOS 10.13 to VoiceOver macOS 13.6
• VoiceOver iOS Causes problems from VoiceOver iOS 11.4 to VoiceOver iOS 16.6
• WindowEyes with IE Causes problems in WindowEyes 8.4
• Dolphin with IE Causes problems in Dolphin SR 16.06
• SaToGo with IE Causes problems in SaToGo 3.4.96.0

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