WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.3, Status Messages, is a Level AA requirement: status messages are exposed without focus.
Read the criterion in the W3C Recommendation, WCAG 2.2 (opens in a new tab).
How BearScan checks it
Status messages are exposed without focus
Checked automatically: clicks through the page. Severity: high. A confirmation message that is not announced leaves a screen-reader user unsure whether their action registered.
An approximation: Text that appears on a page that is left alone for ten seconds, and text that appears after forms are submitted wrongly in a browser that stops every write, is checked for being inside an aria-live region or a status, alert or log role, or for focus having moved to it. Text that was neither is read by a decisions model (TypeSafe's Jev) for whether it is a status message (a confirmation, an error, a result count) rather than content; 80% or more fails. Statuses that follow actions the scan never takes (adding to a cart, saving, signing in) are not observed, so a page with none that it could provoke passes on what was observed, and a page with no form, no live region and nothing that appeared is not applicable.
How to fix it. Wrap the status message in a region with an appropriate aria-live value, or move focus deliberately if the message is the expected result of the action.
Questions
Is WCAG 4.1.3 required by the ADA?
The ADA doesn't name a technical standard for businesses, but the Justice Department's 2022 guidance points businesses to WCAG, and its 2024 rule for state and local governments adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which includes 4.1.3.
Can an automated tool check WCAG 4.1.3?
Mostly. BearScan checks it automatically (clicks through the page). A clean result still isn't proof every page passes, only the pages scanned.
How do I fix a WCAG 4.1.3 failure?
Wrap the status message in a region with an appropriate aria-live value, or move focus deliberately if the message is the expected result of the action.