# WCAG 3.0 Draft: What Is Proposed and What Is Still Unsettled?

Traditional Chinese version: [https://accesserty.com/ai/guides/what-wcag-3-is-changing.md](https://accesserty.com/ai/guides/what-wcag-3-is-changing.md)

Page version: [https://accesserty.com/en/guides/what-wcag-3-is-changing/](https://accesserty.com/en/guides/what-wcag-3-is-changing/)

Last updated: 2026-09-30

WCAG 3.0 remains a Working Draft. Distinguish proposals and unresolved details from current WCAG 2 requirements, without treating a contrast algorithm or future assessment model as settled.

## Summary

- This article refers to W3C’s Working Draft published on 10 September 2026, not a Recommendation.
- Requirement categories, the conformance model, and some measurements remain under development. They cannot support a claim of meeting a final WCAG 3 standard.
- Continue using your applicable WCAG 2 baseline, testing complete tasks and documenting methods, environments, and untested scope.

## Check the document status and version

The public W3C version dated 10 September 2026 is a Working Draft. It may change, be replaced, or be withdrawn; this explanation does not guarantee what a future version will contain.

Check the document and date cited by an article or tool. Draft proposals, incomplete values, and requirements from a finalized standard do not belong in one “conforms” checklist.

## What categories does the draft propose?

This draft distinguishes core requirements, supplemental requirements, and assertions about documented accessibility practices, alongside conformance and progress reporting. These are proposals, not direct replacements for WCAG 2’s A, AA, and AAA levels.

Read a proposal’s applicability, exceptions, and maturity. “More focused on real use” is an interpretation, not a substitute for its requirements; WCAG 2 already needs human judgment and evaluation of complete processes.

## The contrast algorithm is not settled

The draft’s text-contrast provisions retain unresolved measurements, and an editor’s note says the algorithm is undetermined. APCA or Lc is therefore not a settled WCAG 3 requirement or a replacement for current WCAG 2 contrast calculations.

For current color changes, check against the applicable standard, then inspect actual text size, weight, backgrounds, focus, and interaction states. Other models may inform additional research, but keep that separate from formal evaluation results.

## Current work does not need to wait

Continue with the version and level adopted or required for your project; a new draft alone is not a reason to change conformance claims. It does not decide which baseline applies to a law or procurement contract.

Select important tasks, document pages, states, and environments, and combine automated, manual, and actual assistive-technology tests. This is useful work now without appealing to a future standard.

- Keep the baseline, dates, confirmed results, and untested scope.
- After changes, retest affected tasks end to end, not only one rule.
- Follow W3C’s draft and explanations, distinguishing proposals from finalized requirements.

## Tools cannot certify a future draft

Accesserty does not offer WCAG 3 conformance certification. Use DevCheck’s preliminary checks, Pulse’s maintenance information, and UI Kit’s components within their actual capabilities and tested scope.

If a tool claims WCAG 3 support, ask whether it means experimental tests, a particular draft, or an evaluation with a defined method. Its name cannot establish coverage of all unresolved content.

## Related pages

- [W3C WCAG 3.0: Working Draft of 10 September 2026](<https://www.w3.org/TR/2026/WD-wcag-3.0-20260910/>)

- [W3C WCAG 3.0: latest published version](<https://www.w3.org/TR/wcag-3.0/>)

- [Current contrast checks](<https://accesserty.com/en/guides/color-contrast-checks-before-release/>)

- [When can an accessibility result be called a pass?](<https://accesserty.com/en/guides/why-accessibility-data-should-not-be-pass-fail/>)

- [WCAG definition](<https://accesserty.com/en/glossary/wcag/>)

- [Accesserty Signal](<https://accesserty.com/en/signal/>) — See traceable accessibility clues in search results and report barriers when they happen.

- [Accesserty DevCheck](<https://accesserty.com/en/devcheck/>) — Run browser-based checks on local builds, staging pages, authenticated screens, and interactive states.

- [Accessibility practice and maintenance guides](<https://accesserty.com/en/guides/>) — Browse guides by practical task: public signals, pre-release checks, post-launch maintenance, and standards limits.