Accessibility
is the product, not the checklist.
SoundSense is built for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Accessibility is not a row we tick. It is the point. This page describes our commitments, the standards we follow, the limitations we know about, and how to tell us if something is not right.
What we promise
and what you can hold us to.
WCAG 2.1 AA conformance
The app and this website both target WCAG 2.1 AA. That covers color contrast, keyboard navigation, text scaling, captions, descriptive alternatives, and structural semantics.
VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, Reduced Motion
Every screen in the app is labeled for VoiceOver. Text scales with Dynamic Type up to accessibility sizes without breaking layout. Every animation respects the iOS Reduce Motion setting.
ASL tutorial videos
Every piece of tutorial and onboarding content inside the app is available as an ASL video, signed by deaf signers from the NTID community. Written captions are a complement, not a substitute.
What we measure
against.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1, Level AA. The baseline we design and test against.
U.S. federal accessibility standard for information technology. We track 508 alignment for organizational deployments.
European accessibility standard for ICT. The same principles, required for public sector use in the EU.
We follow U.S. Department of Justice guidance on digital accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
iOS-specific guidelines for VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion, and accessible custom actions.
The standard that matters most. Every major change is tested by deaf and hard of hearing users before it ships.
What does not work yet.
We will not hide these.
- ·Legacy iOS versions. We require iOS 16 or later. Older devices lack the Neural Engine features we depend on. If this is a blocker for you, tell us. We keep a list.
- ·ASL interface mode. Tutorials have ASL video. The full interface (navigation labels, settings, timeline copy) does not yet ship as an ASL-video-first mode. That is on the roadmap.
- ·Website ASL translation. This website does not yet include ASL video translation for its marketing copy. We are working on it. Priority pages are the home page, how-it-works, and FAQ.
- ·Android. SoundSense is iOS-only at launch. Android is coming; nobody on Android can use it today.
- ·Spoken-language localization. English only at launch. If your language matters to you, email us and we will prioritize based on what we hear.
- ·Detection limits. The app works best when your phone is in the same room as the sound. Sounds through closed doors, down hallways, or across floors are not guaranteed.
If you find something that does not work for you, it counts as a known limitation the moment we hear about it. Tell us below.
Tell us what is broken.
We will fix it or say why we cannot.
Accessibility reports get priority.
Email accessibility@soundsense.app or use the contact form. Describe the problem, what you were trying to do, and what device you are using. We reply within 2 business days.
Accessibility statement effective April 2026. Updated whenever we ship a meaningful change.