--- title: "Audio-only (Live)" url: "https://barrierefreihochzwei.de/en/wcag/1-2-9-audio-only-live" language: "en" description: "Live audio such as web radio or audio-only live streams needs a real-time text alternative. Learn how to meet WCAG 1.2.9 with live captioners and scripts." published: "2025-01-01T08:00:00+01:00" updated: "2026-10-15T09:41:59+02:00" --- # Audio-only (Live) When the mic goes live, the words have to flow too. - **Erfolgskriterium:** 1.2.9 - **Prinzip:** Perceivable - **Konformitätsstufe:** Level AAA - **Erklärung beim W3C:** [www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/audi...](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/audio-only-live.html) Success criterion 1.2.9 # 1.2.9 Audio-only (Live) Level AAAPerceivable When the mic goes live, the words have to flow too. ## 1. What is the goal of this criterion? Live is live – and that makes a lot of things harder. With a prerecorded podcast you can calmly put together a transcript, but with an audio live stream, a press conference without video or a web radio show, it gets tricky. People who are deaf or hard of hearing face a particular hurdle with live audio: there’s no replay and no pause button. Whatever was said and not written down is lost to them. So the goal of WCAG Success Criterion 1.2.9 is to make live audio-only content accessible too – through a text alternative that’s created alongside the spoken word. ## 2. What exactly does it require? This Level AAA criterion is about audio-only content broadcast live. It needs an equivalent text alternative that’s available at the same time as the audio. **Typical solutions:** - **Real-time captioning (CART)**: trained captioners transcribe what’s said as it happens. - **Prepared text**: if a broadcast follows a fixed script, such as a statement being read out, that script can be provided in parallel – as long as nobody departs from it. - **Text display on the website**: the text runs in an area next to the audio player. **Important clarifications:** - The criterion is meant for broadcasts such as webcasts, web radio or audio live streams – not private conversations between individuals. - Responsibility lies with the person or organisation providing the content – not with the software being used. - The text alternative has to be equivalent: rough notes or an unchecked, error-ridden transcript won’t do. ## 3. Why does it matter for accessibility? Imagine your company’s leadership makes a short-notice statement about a crisis via an audio live stream – but you’re deaf and can’t follow what’s being said while everyone else reacts. Live text alternatives enable participation in real time: - **Deaf and hard of hearing people** can follow live broadcasts, audio conferences and webcasts in full. - **People in noisy environments** can keep up even without headphones. - **People with attention or processing difficulties** benefit from being able to listen and read at the same time. - **People with a different first language** understand complex content better when they can combine text and audio. - **People in quiet places** (a library, a sleeping household) can still take part. What makes the difference: unlike transcripts created afterwards, live text alternatives enable real participation – you’re actually there, rather than reading a recording later. ## 4. How to meet the criterion Live text is more demanding than an after-the-fact transcript – but with planning and the right services it’s very doable. Your options: **Professional real-time captioning:** - Hire live captioners or a specialist live captioning service. - They work on site or remotely and capture not only speech but also important sounds: \[applause\], \[laughter\], \[music\]. - Share names, technical terms and the running order in advance – it noticeably improves quality. - Ideal for official events, conferences or important addresses. **Technical implementation:** - Embed the live text right next to the audio player on your website, for example using the embed the service provides. - Make sure it’s easy to read: sufficient contrast, appropriate font size, adjustable display. - Offer a text-only view for anyone who just wants to follow the text. **For planned broadcasts:** - If there’s a fixed script, provide it in parallel – and flag any deviations. - Combine prepared text with live text for spontaneous parts such as Q&A sessions. - Test the setup beforehand: is everything in sync? Is the text easy to read? **Automatic speech recognition:** - Many platforms and operating systems now offer automatic live captions – such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Live Transcribe or the live captions built into Windows and smartphones. - For internal or spontaneous formats they’re a good first step. - But: with jargon, names, accents or several voices they make mistakes. You need to check critically whether the result is equivalent – often it takes human correction. - Captions that users switch on themselves on their own device don’t replace your responsibility as the provider to offer a text alternative. For live video with picture and sound, [Captions (Live)](https://barrierefreihochzwei.de/en/wcag/1-2-4-captions-live) already applies at Level AA; for prerecorded audio, see [Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)](https://barrierefreihochzwei.de/en/wcag/1-2-1-audio-only-and-video-only-prerecorded). ## 5. Why this criterion matters for businesses Level AAA may sound like a luxury – but with live formats in particular, accessibility decides who gets to be part of it and who doesn’t: ### 1. Reach more people An audio event without live text excludes deaf customers, employees and partners. With live text alternatives, your events become accessible to everyone – including people in difficult listening situations. ### 2. Communicate reliably With important announcements – crisis communication or shareholder meetings, for instance – what matters is that everyone gets the same information at the same time. Live text makes sure of that and keeps a record of what was said. ### 3. Reuse your content After the broadcast, the live text becomes a searchable transcript with little extra work – a basis for articles, documentation or summaries. On the legal side: what the law usually requires is Level AA. The European Accessibility Act has applied since 28 June 2025 – in Germany through the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG) – and relies on EN 301 549, which refers to WCAG 2.1 Level AA for web content. 1.2.9 isn’t part of the mandatory scope. (General information, not legal advice.) ## 6. The success criterion in the W3C’s words > **Success Criterion 1.2.9 Audio-only (Live) (Level AAA)** > > An alternative for time-based media that presents equivalent information for live audio-only content is provided. In short: live audio-only content comes with an equivalent text alternative – for example through real-time captioning or a script provided in parallel. **Official explanation from the W3C** The W3C explains every success criterion in depth – with intent, examples and techniques. [Understanding 1.2.9](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/audio-only-live.html) ## More criteria from “Perceivable” [ 1.1.1 Level A ### Non-text Content When images need words. ](https://barrierefreihochzwei.de/en/wcag/1-1-1-non-text-content) [ 1.2.1 Level A ### Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) When podcasts and silent videos need a second form. ](https://barrierefreihochzwei.de/en/wcag/1-2-1-audio-only-and-video-only-prerecorded) [ 1.2.2 Level A ### Captions (Prerecorded) When videos need to make sense without sound. ](https://barrierefreihochzwei.de/en/wcag/1-2-2-captions-prerecorded)