Accessibility statement

Scope of application

This accessibility statement applies to the following digital offerings from WetterOnline Meteorologische Dienstleistungen GmbH:

It was created based on the German Disability Equality Act (BGG), the Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance (BITV 2.0) and in accordance with the requirements of the Accessibility Enhancement Act (BFSG), in particular EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1.

For country-specific domains, we are currently reviewing whether additional or separate accessibility statements are required.

General description of the service

WetterOnline provides users with location-based weather information, including forecasts, maps, rain radar and weather news.

The digital services are available in several languages and can be accessed via desktop and mobile devices.

Checking the weather forecast – How it works

How to access the weather forecast for your location:

  1. Open the website's home page, e.g. www.wetteronline.de, or the PWA in a browser on your computer, tablet or smartphone.
    • If you have already installed the PWA (e.g. via “Install now”), open it like an app.
  2. At the top of the page, there is a search field labelled "The weather in...".
    • If you are using a screen reader, this input field will be recognised accordingly.
    • If you are navigating with the keyboard, you can reach the field by pressing the tab key..
  3. Now enter a location, e.g. „Cologne“. Suggestions will automatically appear as you type.
    • You can navigate through the list using the arrow keys and confirm the desired location by pressing Enter.
    • Alternatively, you can select “My location", to use automatic location detection (if you agree to location sharing in your browser).
  4. After selection, the weather forecast for the desired location is displayed automatically.
    • You can now switch between hourly forecast, daily view, radar image and further information.

The application can generally be used with screen reader software (e.g. VoiceOver, TalkBack, Narrator). Full keyboard operation is not yet available in all areas.

Status of compliance with requirements

The digital services mentioned are currently only partially compliant with the requirements of the accessibility guidelines according to BITV 2.0 and the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsverordnung (BFSGV) in conjunction with EU Directive 2019/882.

The reason for this is that there are currently barriers in areas such as keyboard navigation, visual contrast, screen reader compatibility and semantic structure.

The partial compatibility is based on a review described below.

Method of examination

The accessibility assessment was carried out by:

  • an internal self-assessment by the provider, supported by internal tests based on EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1 at conformity level AA.
  • an external review by an independent testing institute (Materna Information & Communications SE, Dortmund).

Non-accessible content

The following content and functions are currently not accessible or only accessible to a limited extent:

  • Alternative texts and visual content
    • Incomplete or missing alternative texts for images and icons
    • No textual alternatives for graphical weather maps or diagrams(WCAG 1.1.1, 1.4.1)
  • Colour contrasts and visual design
    • Insufficient contrast in text and UI elements(WCAG 1.4.3)
  • Keyboard operation and focus guidance
    • Navigation not fully possible with keyboard
    • Focus indicator is missing or not consistently visible(WCAG 2.1.1, 2.4.7)
  • Screen reader compatibility
    • Missing or incorrect roles and ARIA labels
    • Inconsistent heading structure
    • Language of content not correctly identified(WCAG 1.3.1, 2.4.6, 3.1.1, 4.1.2)
  • Forms and submissions
    • Missing labels and groupings
    • Error messages not sufficiently assigned(WCAG 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3)
  • Layout and zoom
    • Content not reliably scalable to 200%
    • No optimised display when rotating the device (WCAG 1.4.4, 1.3.4)
  • PDFs and embedded Documents
    • PDFs not tagged for accessibility(WCAG 1.1.1 / PDF/UA)
  • Navigation and Orientation
    • External links not marked
    • No human-readable sitemap(WCAG 2.4.4, 2.4.5, 3.2.5)

Note on ongoing improvements

We are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our digital offerings and strive to remedy the aforementioned restrictions as quickly as possible. Our goal is to gradually meet the requirements for digital accessibility in accordance with WCAG 2.1 at conformity level AA and the legal requirements of BITV 2.0 and BFSG.

Alternative Access

For users with disabilities, we recommend using our mobile apps, as they already have more accessible features.

Status of the declaration

This statement was created on 20 June 2025 and last updated on 27 June 2025.

Feedback and contact

If you encounter any barriers in our digital offerings or have any comments regarding accessibility, please contact us:

E-Mail:  accessibility@wetteronline.de Postal address: WetterOnline GmbH, Karl-Legien-Str. 194a, 53117 Bonn, Germany

Conciliation procedure

If you believe that your accessibility request has not been satisfactorily answered, you have the right to involve the arbitration board in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act (BGG):

BGG Conciliation Office to the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Disabled Persons Postal address: Mauerstraße 53, 10117 Berlin, Germany Telephone: 030 18 527-2805 E-Mail:  info@schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de Website: www.schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de

Competent market surveillance authority

The following market surveillance authority is responsible for ensuring compliance with the legal accessibility requirements for products and services:

Federal Network Agency Market Surveillance Market Surveillance for Accessibility Postal address: Tulpenfeld 4, 53113 Bonn, Germany E-Mail:  barrierefreiheit@bnetza.de Website: www.bundesnetzagentur.de