1. Overview
Size is one of the simplest things to get right on Android, and one of the easiest to break. The platform already scales text and enlarges touch targets. Problems come from fixed sizes: a box exactly 40 dp high, a font set in dp, a layout that assumes a phone held upright.
Four WCAG 2.2 criteria apply, through the W3C's WCAG2ICT guidance and EN 301 549 clause 11:
- 2.5.8 Target size (minimum), clause 11.2.5.8
- 1.4.4 Resize text, clause 11.1.4.4
- 1.4.10 Reflow, clause 11.1.4.10
- 1.3.4 Orientation, clause 11.1.3.4.
Clause 11.7 adds a duty to follow the person's text size setting.
Unlock the rest of this lesson
You have read the free preview of Touch targets, font size and display size in Module 6: Android accessibility. The full lesson, its knowledge check and the module certificate come with a plan, bought here on the web.
Buy a plan here with a card and the rest of the course unlocks. You will sign in first, with Apple or Google, which is what the plan is attached to. No iPhone or Mac needed.
Free with no account: the first lesson, Why accessibility, and who it is for, the European Accessibility Act flashcards and the overview of every lesson.
Sources
- Android Developers, Accessibility API defaults (minimum touch target sizes) and Make apps more accessible (Views). Code samples adapted from these pages (CC BY 2.5).
- Android Developers, minimumInteractiveComponentSize.
- Android Developers, Android 14 features: non-linear font scaling to 200%.
- Android Developers Blog, Orientation and resizability changes in Android 16 (January 2025).
- W3C, WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.3.4, 1.4.4, 1.4.10 and 2.5.8, and WCAG2ICT, glossary entry for CSS pixel.
- ETSI, CEN and CENELEC, EN 301 549 V4.1.1 (2026-09), clauses 11.1.3.4, 11.1.4.4, 11.1.4.10, 11.2.5.8 and 11.7, available from the ETSI standards server.
