W3C

– DRAFT –
MATF 22 July 2026

22 July 2026

Attendees

Present
Joe_Humbert, RobW, shoobe, shoobe01, Tanya
Regrets
quintinb
Chair
JJ
Scribe
RobW

Meeting minutes

<JJ> Zakim nominate a scribe

Definitions drafts - Diagram

<JJ> w3c/matf#223

<JJ> Correction: w3c/matf#293

<JJ> Current proposal looked like this:

<JJ> The software layers involved in mobile apps are shown in Figure 1. The lowest layer is the “underlying layer”, consisting of the device hardware. The platform software⁠ operates on the underlying layer and provides services used by software⁠ running on the device, including the accessibility interface. Software includes native apps,

<JJ> cross-platform apps, apps containing embedded web views, and separate user agents such as mobile web browsers. Software presents content and exposes semantic information through the accessibility interface, which assistive technologies use to obtain that information and perform user actions. Users interact with content either directly or through

<JJ> assistive technologies.

<JJ> Accessibility responsibilities correspond to these software layers. Authors are responsible for the accessibility of the content and software they provide, including native apps, cross-platform apps, and apps containing embedded web views. Platform vendors are responsible for accessibility functionality provided by the platform software, including

<JJ> accessibility services and unmodified platform software components. User agent vendors are responsible for functionality provided by separate user agents, such as mobile web browsers. Assistive technology vendors are responsible for the accessibility of assistive technologies.

<JJ> Description for screen readers:

<JJ> A top-to-bottom stack of six layers involved when a person interacts with an application. Each layer contains one or more blocks, and every block is coloured to show who is responsible for it: author, vendor, assistive technology vendor, or out of scope. Arrows between the layers show that information flows both up and down the stack.

<JJ> From top to bottom:

<JJ> 1. User

<JJ> Person

<JJ> Out of scope.

<JJ> 2. Assistive technology

<JJ> Assistive software

<JJ> Assistive technology vendor.

<JJ> Assistive hardware

<JJ> Assistive technology vendor.

<JJ> 3. Content

<JJ> Structure

<JJ> Author.

<JJ> Presentation

<JJ> Author.

<JJ> Interaction

<JJ> Author.

<JJ> 4. Software (“the app”) or User Agent

<JJ> Native program

<JJ> Author.

<JJ> Cross-platform program

<JJ> Author.

<JJ> Embedded web view

<JJ> Author.

<JJ> Browser

<JJ> Vendor.

<JJ> The embedded web view and browser together form the User Agent.

<JJ> 5. Platform software

<JJ> Operating system

<JJ> Vendor.

<JJ> 6. “Underlying layer”

<JJ> Device

<JJ> Out of scope.

Definitions drafts - Set of web pages

<shoobe01> Typo, seems to be missing a word "The set of pages used in the checkout process IS distinct from the set of pages used to show products."

<JJ> Added typo comment: https://github.com/w3c/matf/pull/293/changes#r3630544510

Definitions drafts - Keyboard interface

JJ: Keyboard interface note 3 acknowledges an accessibility interface exists but provides no specific guidance to avoid deviating too much from WCAG

Tanya: Adding this as a note avoids adding a separate definition

Definitions drafts - User agent

JJ: User agent is an important definition because it includes some exclusions.

Note 2 clarifies that if making a web app the author is responsible for the accessibility of the content.

shoobe: "Everything else... are covered by the term “software”." Is circular as software is also responsible for presenting the web content.

Joe_Humbert: Android has options for rendering web content, each of these is a user agent.

<JJ> Related issue: w3c/matf#63

Tanya: as author of the app it should be your responsibility to ensure that the web content is accessible, not to put responsibility on the web view vendor. This means a web view is not the same as software, but should be treated as software.

Joe_Humbert: If we consider a browser a user agent, user agents are exempt in some cases. We should be careful about using that definition.

Definitions drafts - Software

<Joe_Humbert> I think the second note in Software makes our second note in User Agent clear so I am good to move forward. Thank you for your work Tanya

<JJ> shoobe: Replace 'Software ("the app") or User Agent' with singular term

shoobe01: Category naming problem, the same as the diagram & user agent - software is used to reference many things. We should consider replacing the word software with something else in this context.

Joe_Humbert: Is software just native & cross platform programs, similar to how browsers & embedded web views are user agents?

Joe_Humbert: We should keep the software layer, but group native & cross platform programs as "application software"

<Tanya> w3c/matf#270 (comment)

<JJ> ^ link is mapping of terminology

Tanya: Provided a table matching WCAG2ICT & WCAG terms to WCAG2Mobile - we should aim not to add new definitions.

Tanya: One version of the diagram had a separate layer for user agent, but this was removed because it added complexity. You need to have an app installed to access the embedded browser.

Definitions drafts - Platform software

Joe_Humbert: Components being considered software strengthens the case for disambiguating the term software and adding an additional term.

Tanya: Agree with Joe, we should group native & cross platform as application software. We have cross platform definition on our backlog, but it doesn't fit in with these definitions. We should add it in a future version.

<shoobe01> +1 for Rob's commentary through today on this

<Joe_Humbert> JJ Browser is a User Agent by definition in WCAG, unfortunately

Minutes manually created (not a transcript), formatted by scribe.perl version 248 (Mon Oct 27 20:04:16 2025 UTC).

Diagnostics

Maybe present: JJ

All speakers: JJ, Joe_Humbert, shoobe, shoobe01, Tanya

Active on IRC: JJ, Joe_Humbert, RobW, shoobe01, Tanya