RE: Tooltips and SC 4.1.3

👍

 

From: wolfgang.berndorfer@zweiterblick.at <wolfgang.berndorfer@zweiterblick.at> 
Sent: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 3:52 PM
To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Subject: RE: Tooltips and SC 4.1.3

 

SR users get no indication/hint that there is a tooltip that they can get to.

 

The input-element is just followed by a div with role=tooltip:

<label for="ctl" >

  Customer number

</label>

<input

  type="text"

  id="ctl" >

<div role="tooltip" >

  You will find your customer number on our bill.

</div>

 

Doesn’t sound like a status message.

 

But 1.3.1 really seems to fail here:

The visual presentation of the hint (Popup) is not programmatically associated for SR.

 

 

 

From: Adam Cooper <cooperad@bigpond.com <mailto:cooperad@bigpond.com> > 
Sent: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 5:10 AM
To: wolfgang.berndorfer@zweiterblick.at <mailto:wolfgang.berndorfer@zweiterblick.at> ; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org <mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org> 
Subject: RE: Tooltips and SC 4.1.3

 

I guess it depends on whether a ‘hint’ qualifies as a status message.

 

By the glossary definition of ‘status message’, it doesn’t appear so.

 

And assuming that a screen reader can ‘get to’ the tooltip because it is the next item in the DOM?

 

Changes of context initiated by user action are not covered by any WCAG 2.2  success criterion that I am aware of.

 

I’d be tempted to fail it under 1.3.1 myself.

 

 

 

From: wolfgang.berndorfer@zweiterblick.at <mailto:wolfgang.berndorfer@zweiterblick.at>  <wolfgang.berndorfer@zweiterblick.at <mailto:wolfgang.berndorfer@zweiterblick.at> > 
Sent: Monday, June 1, 2026 8:54 PM
To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org <mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org> 
Subject: Tooltips and SC 4.1.3

 

Hi,

 

An input-field displays a popup-hint on focus with role=tooltip.

The hint is not referenced with aria-describedby.

Thus, when tabbing to the input-field, a screen reader  doesn’t announce the hint.

Pressing Arrow-Down, the hint is announced.

 

Is this a failure of 4.1.3 (status messages)?

Understanding 4.1.3 does not mention tooltips explicitly.

https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/status-messages.html 

 

Or is this a change of content according to SC 3.2.1 On Focus? 

https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/#dfn-change-of-context

 

Or is it *just an usability problem or poor design*?

 

SC 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus covers other issues

 

Thanks for clarification!

 

Wolfgang