No Timing ensures that users are not required to complete tasks within a time limit to use or understand content. Users must be able to interact at their own pace, without being penalised or blocked by countdowns, timeouts, or reaction-speed requirements.
This criterion exists because many users need more time to read, understand, navigate, or operate content, and timing constraints can make otherwise accessible content unusable.
WCAG Success Criterion
2.2.3 No Timing (Level AAA)
Timing is not an essential part of the event or activity presented by the content, except for non-interactive synchronised media and real-time events.
At Level AAA, timing must not be required at all for user interaction, unless the activity is inherently time-based.
Why This Matters
Time limits introduce pressure that disproportionately affects users who:
- Navigate more slowly using assistive technologies
- Require additional time to read or comprehend content
- Have motor impairments that affect reaction speed
- Use screen readers and must explore content sequentially
Timed interactions can result in users being:
- Logged out unexpectedly
- Prevented from completing forms or tasks
- Penalised for slower interaction
- Forced to rush, increasing errors and cognitive load
At Level AAA, accessibility requires that users control the pace, not the system.
Intent of the Criterion
This success criterion intends to eliminate timed interaction as a requirement for completing tasks.
This goes beyond Level A and Level AA requirements, which allow time limits as long as users can extend or disable them. At Level AAA, timing itself must not be essential to the activity.
This means:
- Tasks must not rely on countdowns
- Completion speed must not affect outcomes
- Users must not be required to react within a specific time window
If timing is fundamental to how the activity works, the content cannot conform at Level AAA.
WCAG Criteria Affected
This criterion builds directly on:
- SC 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable (Level A)
- SC 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (Level A)
Unlike those criteria, SC 2.2.3 allows no timing-based interaction at all, except where timing is intrinsic and unavoidable.
This is a conformance boundary, not an implementation flaw.
What Is Allowed (Exceptions)
This criterion does not apply to:
- Real-time events, such as live auctions or multiplayer games
- Non-interactive synchronised media, such as video or audio playback
In these cases, timing is essential to the nature of the content and is therefore exempt.
Who This Helps
This criterion primarily supports:
- People with motor or dexterity impairments
- People with low vision or blindness using screen readers
- People with cognitive or language-related disabilities
- People who need additional time to read or process information
- Deaf users relying on sign language interpretation
For these users, removing time pressure can be the difference between success and exclusion.
Examples
Untimed Assessment
An online test is designed so that time does not affect scoring. Users can complete the test at their own pace, and accuracy, not speed, determines results.
Turn-Based Interaction
A game allows players to take turns rather than compete in real time. One player can pause without disadvantaging the other.
Content Review
A learning module enables users to progress manually, rather than advancing automatically after a set duration.
Common Causes of Failure
Content often fails this criterion when:
- Tasks expire automatically after a fixed time
- Sessions time out without a way to continue
- User input must be completed within a countdown
- Speed is used as a scoring or success factor
- Interfaces require rapid reactions to proceed
Even if extensions or pauses are available, the presence of timing itself disqualifies Level AAA conformance.
Rule Description
Content must not require users to interact within time limits. If completing an action, task, or activity depends on timing, and the timing is not intrinsic to a real-time event, the content does not meet this criterion.
The Algorithm
- Identify all user interactions and tasks
- Determine whether any action must be completed within a time limit
- Check whether timing affects success, scoring, or access
- If timing is required and not intrinsic to a real-time event, the criterion fails
Wrapping Up
No Timing represents the strictest requirement for time-based accessibility in WCAG. It does not require authors to remove all dynamic content, but it does require that time pressure never determines access or success. If users must hurry, react quickly, or respond to a task, the content cannot conform to Level AAA standards.
