Success Criteria

WCAG 2.5.4 Motion Actuation

Success Criterion 2.5.4 requires that functionality operated by device motion or user motion (shaking a phone, tilting a tablet) can also be operated through conventional user interface components, and that motion-based actuation can be disabled to prevent accidental triggering. It's a Level A criterion under Guideline 2.5 (Input Modalities), added in WCAG 2.1.

Who this protects

Someone whose device is mounted in a fixed position (wheelchair-mounted, clamped to a stand) physically cannot shake or tilt it. Someone with a tremor or involuntary movement might trigger a motion-based action accidentally and repeatedly, without intending to. Both groups need functionality that doesn't depend on deliberate device movement as the only trigger.

Two distinct requirements bundled into one criterion

A conventional alternative must exist — "shake to undo," a common pattern in some mobile apps, needs an equivalent button or menu option that achieves the same result without physically moving the device.

Motion actuation must be disableable — separate from providing an alternative, there needs to be a way to turn off motion-based triggering entirely, protecting against accidental activation for someone whose involuntary movements might otherwise repeatedly trigger it unintentionally.

The narrow exception

Where the motion itself is essential to the function — a pedometer step-counter, or a bubble-level app where tilting the device IS the entire point — this criterion doesn't apply, since disabling motion would eliminate the feature's actual purpose.

Where this shows up today

This criterion is most relevant to native mobile apps and mobile-web experiences using device orientation/motion APIs — "shake to report a bug," "tilt to steer" in a simple game, "shake to shuffle." Straightforward desktop-web content without any motion-sensor integration typically has nothing to check here at all.

Common questions

What is WCAG 2.5.4?

A Level A criterion: features activated by motion (shake to undo, tilt to scroll) must also have a standard control alternative and be able to be turned off.

Why does 2.5.4 matter?

Users who can't hold or move a device precisely, or who have it mounted, can't perform motion gestures; accidental motion can also trigger unwanted actions.

Are there exceptions?

When motion is essential to the function (like a pedometer) or is used via an accessibility-supported interface, the requirement doesn't apply.