Avoid timed refresh/redirects under 20 hours
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Accessibility isn't just about avoiding violations — it's about ensuring that everyone can use your product with confidence. This guide explains each rule's intent, highlights common issues, and shows how to fix them according to WCAG and the European Accessibility Act (EAA).
These guidelines do not replace the official WCAG standards. They’re concise, developer-focused notes to help you identify and fix issues effectively.
Never move the user without their permission.
Overview
Why this matters
Timed page changes can interrupt reading, reset focus, and discard user input before tasks are complete.
How to fix this issue
Avoid timed refresh and redirect behavior. When genuine time constraints exist, provide advance warning plus controls to extend or complete work before expiration.
Developer Guidance
Ban `meta refresh` in templates with lint and CI checks. For required session expiry, surface timeout state from backend to UI, announce countdown accessibly, and provide Extend Session and Save Progress actions. Preserve unsaved form state where feasible so timing constraints do not cause data loss.
Code Examples
Incorrect Implementation
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="10;url=/dashboard">Correct Implementation
<p>Your session expires in 60 seconds.</p>
<button id="extend">Extend session</button>Real-World Implementation
Before
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="45;url=/reports">
<!-- User is redirected mid-form and loses unsaved entries -->After
<p>Your session expires in 2 minutes.</p>
<button id="extend">Extend session</button>
<button id="save">Save and continue later</button>Manual Testing
- 1. Inspect templates and rendered pages for timed refresh or redirect mechanisms.
- 2. Verify no automatic navigation occurs without user action.
- 3. For timeout flows, confirm pre-expiry warning and extend-time control are present.
- 4. Test warning and controls with keyboard and screen reader.
- 5. Verify unsaved state is preserved or recoverable when timeout is reached.
Related Operable Rules
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