Identify Input Purpose
Input fields collecting information about the user (name, email, address, phone, billing) must declare their purpose using HTML autocomplete attributes.
What it requires
WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.5 requires that user-input fields with predefined data types use the corresponding `autocomplete` attribute value (e.g., `autocomplete="email"`, `autocomplete="tel"`, `autocomplete="address-line1"`).
This helps users with motor and cognitive disabilities by enabling browser autofill, password managers, and assistive-tech extensions to identify the field's purpose. It also reduces typing burden for everyone.
Common Shopify failure
Checkout shipping address form without `autocomplete` attributes — autofill cannot pre-populate. Account signup with `autocomplete="off"` to "discourage password managers" (which is a 1.3.5 violation).
How to fix it
Add `autocomplete="email"`, `"tel"`, `"address-line1"`, `"postal-code"`, `"country"` to the corresponding fields. Remove `autocomplete="off"` on signup forms.
Merchant QA checklist
- Scan the storefront page where this pattern appears: product pages, collection pages, cart drawer, customer-account pages, and any landing page built with theme sections.
- Confirm the issue is fixed in the rendered browser output, not only in the Liquid file. Shopify section settings, app blocks, and third-party scripts can reintroduce the same 1.3.5 failure after a theme edit.
- Re-test the affected component with keyboard navigation and a screen-reader accessibility tree before publishing the theme, especially when the fix changes markup or ARIA attributes.
How AccessComply handles it
AccessComply uses automated rules to check supported patterns in the pages reached during a scan. Some WCAG requirements need human judgment, assistive-technology testing, or access to third-party content and cannot be established by an automated scan. This criterion is generally treated as a pattern that may have a supported suggested fix. If the app can safely match the issue to supported source code, the merchant must review and approve the suggested change before anything is written, and the result is checked afterward. Otherwise the merchant should use the guidance above and independent hands-on testing. The label is not a guarantee of detection, a fix, WCAG conformance, or legal compliance.
Primary source: W3C — WCAG 2.1 Understanding 1.3.5