Smartphones and phone-enabled tablets as examples for closed functionality

First, my apologies for not responding to the survey. Good idea Mary Jo, I’m responding by email with my concern about this:

> …this Note points out which success criteria depend on assistive technologies—and therefore would not work by themselves in products with closed functionality.
> Example: Several examples the task force has considered when developing guidance include the software of:
> … telephony devices such as IP phones, feature phones, smartphones, and phone-enabled tablets

It is misleading to say “the software of… smartphones” is closed functionality and therefore some success criteria “would not work by themselves.” We shouldn’t name specific vendors in this part of the Note, but as an illustration for this Task Force discussion, my Android phone does allow me to install my choice of assistive technology, and overall the apps on my phone work with it.

Instead, I would like to up-vote Loic’s proposal:

“…telephony devices such as IP phones, feature phones, smartphones, and phone-enabled tablets. *Although smartphones have build in AT or AT-like features they are mostly (but not completely) closed to other AT*"

Or better:

“…telephony devices such as IP phones, feature phones, *and smartphones and phone-enabled tablets that prevent users from installing assistive technology*”

The definition of “closed functionality” does not have this problem because the definition only says these are “Examples of technology *with* closed functionality.”

The draft we’re discussing:
https://deploy-preview-254--wcag2ict.netlify.app/#comments-on-closed-functionality


Related survey question #2:
https://www.w3.org/2002/09/wbs/55145/WCAG2ICT-draft2-closed-functionality/results#xq1



Mitchell Evan (he/him)
Senior Accessibility Engineer

[Tpgi]
TPG Interactive
www.tpgi.com<https://www.tpgi.com/>

A Vispero Company
https://vispero.com/

+49 1525 89 50 540
+1 510 375 6104

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