Content supports all orientations
Why it matters
Users who mount phones to wheelchairs or use assistive devices may be locked into one physical orientation and cannot rotate their device. Locking an app to portrait or landscape only permanently excludes these users from the content. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.3.4 (Orientation) is a Level AA requirement: content must not restrict its view to a single display orientation unless it is essential — a piano keyboard app being the canonical example of 'essential.'
Severity rationale
Low because orientation locks are an uncommon but deliberate mistake; most apps do not restrict orientation, so scope is limited, but where it occurs it is a hard exclusion violating WCAG 2.2 SC 1.3.4 at Level AA.
Remediation
Remove any CSS or JavaScript that enforces a single orientation. Responsive layouts should work in both portrait and landscape naturally.
/* Remove orientation lock from CSS */
/* Bad: hides content in landscape */
@media (orientation: landscape) {
body { display: none; }
}
/* Good: layout adapts to available space */
@media (max-width: 768px) {
.sidebar { display: none; } /* hides sidebar at narrow widths, not by orientation */
}
Search the codebase for screen.orientation.lock( in JavaScript files and orientation: portrait or orientation: landscape in CSS. Each instance needs a documented justification or removal. Check public/manifest.json for an orientation field set to anything other than any.
DetectionPro
The detection method for this pattern is part of AuditBuffet Pro.
The full method (what to look for, pass and fail conditions, and how results get reported) ships inside the Accessibility WCAG Compliance Audit. The pattern definition, severity rationale, and remediation remain openly licensed under CC-BY-4.0.
External references
- wcag:2.2 · 1.3.4 — Orientation
- section-508:2018-refresh · 501.1 — Scope
Taxons
History
- 2026-04-18·v1.0.0·Initial import from accessibility-wcag·automated