The accessibility requirements are derived from Section 1 of the HmbBITVO in conjunction with Section 3, paragraphs 1 through 4, and Section 4 of the federal BITV, which was enacted on the basis of Section 11 of the HmbBGG.

Verification of compliance with the requirements is based on an assessment from July 2025 of the accessibility reports (WCAG 2.x/EN 301 549 reports) provided by Zoom via Accessibility | Zoom at that time. The assessment was conducted by Department 2: Communication and Marketing: Division 22 Digital Communication and Design: Digital Accessibility at the University of Hamburg.

Based on this assessment, the applications are partially compliant with the aforementioned requirements due to the following incompatibilities and exceptions.

Result

The application is designed to be highly accessible to users in many areas. However, the application is not yet fully BITV-compliant. As part of technical revisions by the provider Zoom, the requirements will be implemented step by step.

Non-Accessible Content

The WCAG criteria for the individual Zoom applications that were only partially supported or not supported at the time of the assessment are documented below. A detailed evaluation of the accessibility reports is available for download in a separate document (insert link).

The following lists the accessibility reports from April 16, 2024 for Version 6.0.0 of the Zoom desktop client for Windows and macOS:

Windows

5 WCAG criteria were rated as “supported with exceptions”:

• Level A
  • 2.1.1 Keyboard
  • 2.5.3 Label in the Name
  • 3.3.1 Error Detection
• Level AA
  • 1.2.5 Audio Description (Recorded)
  • 3.3.3 Error Guidance

Keyboard

In large gallery views with multiple participant pages, the “Next” and “Back” buttons do not receive keyboard focus.

Rearranging thumbnails in the gallery view, the drag-and-drop function for rearranging the main navigation tabs and the chat shortcut list, and the drag-and-drop function for rearranging buttons in the meeting toolbar are not keyboard-accessible. The provider is working to make the features listed here accessible via keyboard, including keyboard shortcuts where applicable.

Label in the Name

There are some cases where the accessible name differs from the visible label. The provider has slightly adjusted some programmatic labels. This is intended to improve understanding.

Error Detection

Some form fields do not have automatic error detection or error messages. The buttons to continue are disabled until a valid entry is made.

Audio Description (Recorded)

Meeting participants cannot select a separate audio track when playing back shared video content. It is also not possible to include alternative audio descriptions in meeting recordings.

Error Recommendation

Some form fields lack automatic error detection and error messages. The buttons to proceed are disabled until a valid entry is made.

macOS

10 WCAG criteria were rated as “supported with exceptions”:

• Level A
  • 2.1.1 Keyboard
  • 2.1.2 No Keyboard Traps
  • 2.3.1 Threshold of three flashes or fewer
  • 2.5.3 Label in the Name
  • 3.3.1 Error Detection
  • 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
• Level AA
  • 1.2.5 Audio Description (Recorded)
  • 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)
  • 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus
  • 3.3.3 Error Recommendation

Keyboard

Some actions in the “More Actions” section of the team chat are not accessible via the keyboard. The provider states that this will be fixed shortly.

Reordering folders in the team chat causes problems when using the keyboard.

Advanced screen-sharing types include tooltips and menus that are not accessible via the keyboard. The provider states that these menu options are accessible elsewhere. The tooltips displayed here contain text that is not strictly necessary.

The “Studio Effects” section exhibits issues when VoiceOver is not in use.

The options for created channel mention groups are not accessible via the keyboard. The provider is already working to make these accessible via the keyboard.

The drag-and-drop feature for rearranging the main navigation tabs and the chat shortcut list is not keyboard-accessible. The provider is already working to make this feature accessible via the keyboard.

During a screen share, the keyboard shortcut CMD+~ cannot move the focus to the annotation bar when you want to add annotations. The provider states that this will be fixed shortly.

No keyboard trap

A keyboard trap exists: in the “Studio Effects” section, there is a keyboard restriction for video filters.

Limit of three flashes or fewer

The microphone indicator in the main window flashes when audio signals are received, as do the speaker and microphone level bars during speaker and microphone tests and when microphone/audio signals are received. The same applies to the CPU and memory usage indicators in the “Settings/Statistics” dialog box. The provider states that these icons are very small. They would take up very little space on the screen. In some cases, they can also be hidden.

Label in the Name

There are many cases (a few on Windows) where the accessible name differs from the visible label. The provider has slightly adjusted some programmatic labels for better clarity.

Error Detection

Some form fields lack automatic error detection and error messages. The buttons to proceed are disabled until a valid entry is made.

Name, Role, Value

There are three exceptions: Local video playback in Team Chat contains slider components without correct names; VoiceOver often reports an incorrect value when selecting start and end times from the list while scheduling a meeting (correct only with direct input); and when creating mention groups for a channel, VoiceOver announces the names of text fields but not their roles and values. The provider is already working on solutions for all three issues.

Audio Description (Recorded)

Meeting participants cannot select a separate audio track when playing back shared video content. It is also not possible to include alternative audio descriptions in meeting recordings.

Contrast (Minimum)

In one instance, the contrast ratio may fall below 4.5:1: in Team Chat in light mode with transparency enabled for the chat/channel sidebar. The provider plans to fix this in an upcoming redesign.

Content on Hover or Focus

The additional controls that appear on hover do not have a mechanism to hide the additional content without using the mouse pointer or removing keyboard focus.

Error Handling

Some form fields lack automatic error detection and error messages. The buttons to proceed are disabled until a valid entry is made.

The Accessibility Report for Zoom Rooms dated April 25, 2025 for all platforms (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, iPadOS) is as follows:

There are no criteria rated as “supported with exceptions” or “not supported.”

For 6 of the WCAG criteria rated as “supported,” important accessibility notes were added:

• Level A
  • 1.2.1 Audio-Only and Video-Only Content (Recorded)
  • 1.2.2 Captions (Recorded)
  • 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternatives (Recorded)
  • 2.1.1 Keyboard
  • 2.2.1 Adjustable timing
• Level AA
  • 1.2.5 Audio description (recorded)

Accessibility Report dated April 11, 2024, for Zoom Websites

Note: A distinction is made between the Administrative Site and the Help Center in terms of conformance level.

5 WCAG criteria were rated as “supported with exceptions”:

• Level A
  • 1.2.1 Audio-only and video-only content (recorded)/Help Center
  • 1.2.2 Captions (recorded)/Help Center
  • 1.2.3 Audio description or media alternative (recorded)/Help Center
  • 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value/Administrative Site and Help Center
• Level AA
  • 1.2.5 Recorded Audio Description/Help Center

1 WCAG criterion was rated as “not supported”:

• Level AA
  • 1.3.5 Determining the Purpose of an Input Administrative Site/Help Center

Accessibility Report dated April 18, 2024, for the Zoom browser extensions

1 WCAG criterion was rated as “not supported”:

• Level AA
  • 1.3.5 Determining the Purpose of Input

The Accessibility Report dated April 16, 2024 for Zoom Whiteboard is as follows:

13 WCAG criteria were rated as “supported with exceptions”:

• Level A
  • 1.1.1 Non-text Content
  • 1.3.1 Information and Relationships
  • 1.3.2 Meaningful Order
  • 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics
  • 1.4.1 Use of Color
  • 2.1.1 Keyboard
  • 2.4.3 Focus Order
  • 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures
  • 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
  • 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
• Level AA
  • 1.4.4 Changing Text Size
  • 1.4.10 Reflow
  • 2.4.7 Focus Visibility

2 WCAG criteria were rated as “not supported”:

• Level A
  • 2.1.4 Character Key Commands
• Level AA
  • 1.3.5 Determining the Purpose of Input

Accessibility Report dated April 16, 2024, for the Zoom mobile app v6.0.0 for Android

10 WCAG criteria were rated as “supported with exceptions”:

• Level A
  • 1.4.2 Audio Control
  • 2.1.1 Keyboard
  • 2.1.2 No Keyboard Traps
  • 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide
  • 3.3.1 Error Detection
  • 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
  • 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
• Level AA
  • 1.2.5 Audio Description (Recorded)
  • 2.4.6 Headings and Labels
  • 3.3.3. Error Recommendation

1 WCAG criterion was rated as “not supported”:

• Level AA
  • 1.3.4 Screen Orientation

The following lists the accessibility reports from April 18, 2024 for the Zoom Add-In for Microsoft Outlook on Windows and macOS:

Windows

1 WCAG criterion was rated as “supported with exceptions”:

• Level A
  • 3.3.1 Error Detection

1 WCAG criterion was rated as “not supported”:

• Level AA
  • 3.3.3 Error Recommendation

macOS

1 WCAG criterion was rated as “supported with exceptions”:

• Level A
  • 3.3.1 Error Detection