Looping avatar video on a page: WCAG 2.2.2 pause rule

Does a looping avatar clip need a pause button?

Yes, in most page layouts. The W3C Understanding page for 2.2.2 (read 2026-10-04) is a Level A criterion for moving content that starts automatically, lasts more than five seconds and is presented in parallel with other content: the viewer needs a way to pause, stop or hide it. A looping avatar in a lobby screen, a hero section or a sidebar fits all three conditions.

The page also lists allowances. Content that stops by itself within five seconds does not need a control, content essential to an activity is exempt, and full-page content that is not presented alongside other material does not need one.

Where Sume fits

A Sume avatar clip is a finite MP4. The Avatar videos docs put estimated duration between 4 and 60 seconds, so any clip you loop will run beyond five seconds unless you stop it. Looping is a player setting on your side; the file does not loop itself. That gives you three levers: the clip length, the loop flag and the control.

• Play once and stop. A clip that ends on its own and does not restart sidesteps the repeat problem; a single run still counts if it exceeds five seconds and sits beside other content, so keep a control anyway.
• Loop with a pause button. Place the button inside the video area, give it a visible label and reachable keyboard focus.
• Use a still instead. If the loop adds only atmosphere, show the preview still from the avatar preview endpoint and skip motion.

Choosing by layout

The rule keys on how the clip sits on the page, not on what the clip says.

A note on kiosks

The kiosk row is a reading of the criterion's full-page allowance, not a guarantee, and kiosks often include touch targets that count as other content. Sume clips for kiosks are pre-rendered rather than live, as described in the kiosk clips post; the pause rule applies to what the screen shows, whichever way the clip was made.

If your lobby screen loops several clips, treat the playlist as one moving block and give it one control.

Checklist before you ship

Run through these items on the page that embeds the clip. Each takes a minute and none depends on how the avatar was generated.

• Is there a visible, labelled pause control inside the clip area?
• Can a keyboard user reach it without tabbing through the whole page?
• Does pausing the video stop the audio as well?
• Is the speech available as text, in line with the sibling criteria?
• Does the clip's first frame, from the preview still, read well when paused?