Scan Configurations for Mobile App Accessibility (Manual)
Scan Configurations let users decide exactly which accessibility rules run on a manual mobile app scan before it starts. Instead of always running the full built-in rule set, users choose a WCAG conformance target, turn rule groups on or off, and hand-pick individual rules. TestMu AI remembers each user's choices and pre-fills them on the next scan.
This brings mobile app accessibility to parity with web accessibility, where configurable scans already existed.
When to use this
Use Scan Configurations when users want to scope a manual scan to only the relevant checks - for example, running a focused WCAG 2.1 AA pass, excluding AI-powered rules, or disabling individual rules that do not apply to a screen. Because rules outside the selection are skipped before they run on the device, narrower configurations also make scans faster.
How to configure a scan
- Start a mobile app accessibility scan through the Manual flow.
- Open the scan configuration panel. It loads the rules catalog for the selected platform, grouped by category. The first time it is opened, it shows the system defaults. After that, it shows the user's last-used settings.
- Choose the WCAG version and level (for example, WCAG 2.1 AA). The rule list automatically narrows to the rules included by that selection.
- Toggle the required rule groups Best Practice, Beta, AI Detection
- Fine-tune individual rules. Within each category, switch specific rules on or off. Anything left on is Enabled; anything switched off is Disabled.
- Run the scan. Only the selected rules are evaluated on the device, and the report contains results for exactly those rules.
Configuration Options Details
WCAG version and level (with inheritance)
Users select a single WCAG target such as wcag2a, wcag21aa, or wcag22aaa. The selection is cumulative higher versions and levels include the lower ones:
- A higher version includes the lower ones — choosing 2.1 also brings in all 2.0 rules; choosing 2.2 brings in 2.0 + 2.1.
- A higher level includes the lower ones — choosing AA also brings in all A rules; choosing AAA brings in A + AA + AAA.
Example: Selecting WCAG 2.1 AA runs every rule whose success criterion is in WCAG 2.0 or 2.1 at level A or AA. WCAG 2.2 rules and AAA-only rules are not included until the version or level is raised.
Rule groups
Some rules carry a special tag in addition to their WCAG criterion. Each tag has its own toggle, and a rule runs only if both its WCAG criterion is in range and any tag it carries is switched on.
| Toggle | What it controls | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Best Practice | Recommendations that go beyond strict WCAG conformance (for example, punctuation or emoji hygiene in labels). | ON |
| Beta | Newer rules still being refined (for example, traversal-order and certain contrast or touch-target checks). | ON |
| AI-powered | Rules evaluated by AI Detention Agent (for example, Image in Text detection). | OFF |
A rule tagged "Best Practice" will not run if the Best Practice toggle is off—even if its WCAG criterion is in range. The same applies to Beta and AI-powered rules. If an expected rule does not run, check its group toggle.
Individual rules and categories
The catalog is grouped into categories so that coverage can be reasoned about at a glance:
- Accessibility Labels
- Accessible Elements
- Accessible Images
- Color Contrast
- Content Structure
- Display Orientation
- Focus and Navigation
- Input Purpose
- Readable Text and Layout
- Touch Target Size and Spacing
Within any category, individual rules can be switched on or off. An explicit selection always wins: if a user disables a rule, it will not run even if the WCAG or group settings would otherwise include it.
Settings are remembered per user
Each user's scan configuration is persisted on their last saved scan.
- Every time a user runs a scan, the configuration is saved as that user's last-used settings, scoped to the user account and the platform (Android and iOS are remembered separately).
- The next time the user opens the scan configuration panel, it is pre-filled with the configuration from the most recent scan on that platform—so the setup does not have to be repeated.
- Changing settings and running a new scan updates the user's last-used settings to the newest run.
- This is per user and per platform: each user's Android and iOS setups are tracked independently, and teammates' setups do not affect one another.
In short: whatever a user configured on the most recent scan becomes the starting point for the next one.
Defaults for first-time users
For users who have never run a configured mobile scan before (no saved settings yet), the panel starts from these system defaults. After the first scan, these are replaced by the user's last-used settings.
| Setting | Default value |
|---|---|
| WCAG version and level | WCAG 2.1 AA |
| Best Practice | ON |
| Beta | ON |
| AI-powered | OFF |
| Individual rule selection | None pre-excluded (everything in range is enabled) |
What to expect in results
- Scoped results. The report contains violations only for the enabled rules. Rules turned off—directly, or through WCAG or group settings—do not appear and do not affect the accessibility score for that scan.
- Faster scans. Because disallowed rules are skipped before they run on the device, narrowing the configuration generally makes scans quicker.
- Configuration recorded with the test. The WCAG version, group toggles, and the enabled or disabled rule lists are stored alongside the scan, so the team can always see how a given result was produced. The exact rules applied to a scan are also visible in the report (see Scan Configurations via Capabilities (Automation)).
FAQ
Why did a Best Practice rule not run under WCAG 2.1 AA? A check runs only if its WCAG criterion is in range and every tag it carries is enabled. If the Best Practice toggle is off, Best Practice rules are skipped regardless of WCAG level. Turn the relevant group toggle on.
Does every scan need to be reconfigured? No. The last-used configuration is pre-filled automatically (per platform). Users adjust only what they need and run—the scan must be saved for the configuration to persist.
Do configuration changes affect teammates? No. Settings are saved per user and per platform.
Why are AI-powered rules off by default? They are opt-in by design—AI rules invoke AI evaluation and surface items for manual verification rather than automatic pass/fail. Users enable them when that depth is required.
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