diff --git a/src/routes/_components/compose/ComposeMediaItem.html b/src/routes/_components/compose/ComposeMediaItem.html
index f42aa6f1..c3dc8acb 100644
--- a/src/routes/_components/compose/ComposeMediaItem.html
+++ b/src/routes/_components/compose/ComposeMediaItem.html
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 <li class="compose-media compose-media-realm-{realm}">
-  <img src={mediaItem.data.preview_url} {alt} />
+  <img
+    class="{type === 'audio' ? 'audio-preview' : ''}"
+    src={previewSrc}
+    {alt}
+  />
   <div class="compose-media-delete">
     <button class="compose-media-delete-button"
             aria-label="Delete {shortName}"
@@ -10,13 +14,11 @@
   <div class="compose-media-alt">
     <textarea id="compose-media-input-{uuid}"
            class="compose-media-alt-input"
-           placeholder="Describe for the visually impaired"
+           placeholder="Description"
            ref:textarea
            bind:value=rawText
     ></textarea>
-    <label for="compose-media-input-{uuid}" class="sr-only">
-      Describe {shortName} for the visually impaired
-    </label>
+    <label for="compose-media-input-{uuid}" class="sr-only">{label}</label>
   </div>
 </li>
 <style>
@@ -85,6 +87,10 @@
     height: 18px;
   }
 
+  .audio-preview {
+    background: var(--audio-bg);
+  }
+
   .compose-media-realm-dialog {
     max-height: 20vh;
   }
@@ -106,6 +112,7 @@
   import { observe } from 'svelte-extras'
   import SvgIcon from '../SvgIcon.html'
   import { autosize } from '../../_thirdparty/autosize/autosize'
+  import { ONE_TRANSPARENT_PIXEL } from '../../_static/media'
 
   export default {
     oncreate () {
@@ -126,7 +133,14 @@
         // so fall back to the description if it was provided
         filename || mediaItem.description || ''
       ),
+      type: ({ mediaItem }) => mediaItem.data.type,
       shortName: ({ filename }) => filename || 'media',
+      previewSrc: ({ mediaItem, type }) => (
+        type === 'audio' ? ONE_TRANSPARENT_PIXEL : mediaItem.data.preview_url
+      ),
+      label: ({ shortName }) => (
+        `Describe ${shortName} for the visually impaired (image, video) or auditorily impaired (audio, video)`
+      ),
       uuid: ({ realm, mediaItem }) => `${realm}-${mediaItem.data.id}`
     },
     store: () => store,
diff --git a/src/routes/_components/dialog/components/MediaDialog.html b/src/routes/_components/dialog/components/MediaDialog.html
index 2cab9e83..e403b3f0 100644
--- a/src/routes/_components/dialog/components/MediaDialog.html
+++ b/src/routes/_components/dialog/components/MediaDialog.html
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@
     computed: {
       length: ({ mediaItems }) => mediaItems.length,
       dots: ({ length }) => times(length, i => ({ i })),
-      canPinchZoom: ({ mediaItems }) => !mediaItems.some(media => media.type === 'video')
+      canPinchZoom: ({ mediaItems }) => !mediaItems.some(media => ['video', 'audio'].includes(media.type))
     },
     components: {
       ModalDialog,
diff --git a/src/routes/_components/dialog/components/MediaInDialog.html b/src/routes/_components/dialog/components/MediaInDialog.html
index 1dbf39b9..baa4a040 100644
--- a/src/routes/_components/dialog/components/MediaInDialog.html
+++ b/src/routes/_components/dialog/components/MediaInDialog.html
@@ -6,8 +6,18 @@
     {poster}
     controls
     {intrinsicsize}
-    ref:video
+    ref:player
   />
+{:elseif type === 'audio'}
+  <div class="audio-player-container">
+    <audio
+      class="audio-player"
+      aria-label={description}
+      src={url}
+      controls
+      ref:player
+    />
+  </div>
 {:elseif type === 'gifv'}
   <video
     class="media-fit"
@@ -36,6 +46,27 @@
     width: 100%;
     height: 100%;
   }
+  .audio-player-container {
+    min-height: 400px;
+    min-width: 400px;
+    width: 100%;
+    height: 100%;
+    display: flex;
+    justify-content: center;
+    align-items: flex-end;
+    background: var(--audio-bg);
+  }
+  .audio-player {
+    padding: 30px 10px;
+    margin: 10px;
+  }
+  @media (max-width: 767px) {
+    .audio-player-container {
+      min-height: 200px;
+      min-width: calc(100vw - 40px);
+      align-items: center;
+    }
+  }
 </style>
 <script>
   export default {
@@ -54,8 +85,9 @@
       }
     },
     ondestroy () {
-      if (this.refs.video && !this.refs.video.paused) {
-        this.refs.video.pause()
+      let player = this.refs.player
+      if (player && !player.paused) {
+        player.pause()
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/routes/_components/status/Media.html b/src/routes/_components/status/Media.html
index 06292eba..a9244717 100644
--- a/src/routes/_components/status/Media.html
+++ b/src/routes/_components/status/Media.html
@@ -1,20 +1,22 @@
-{#if type === 'video'}
+{#if type === 'video' || type === 'audio'}
   <button id={elementId}
           type="button"
-          class="play-video-button {$largeInlineMedia ? '' : 'fixed-size'}"
+          class="play-video-button {$largeInlineMedia ? '' : 'fixed-size'} {type === 'audio' ? 'play-audio-button' : ''}"
           aria-label="Play video: {description}"
           style="width: {inlineWidth}px; height: {inlineHeight}px;">
     <PlayVideoIcon />
-    <LazyImage
-      alt={description}
-      title={description}
-      src={previewUrl}
-      fallback={oneTransparentPixel}
-      width={inlineWidth}
-      height={inlineHeight}
-      background="var(--loading-bg)"
-      {focus}
-    />
+    {#if type === 'video'}
+      <LazyImage
+        alt={description}
+        title={description}
+        src={previewUrl}
+        fallback={oneTransparentPixel}
+        width={inlineWidth}
+        height={inlineHeight}
+        background="var(--loading-bg)"
+        {focus}
+      />
+    {/if}
   </button>
 {:else}
   <button id={elementId}
@@ -72,6 +74,9 @@
     background: none;
     position: relative;
   }
+  .play-audio-button {
+    background: var(--audio-bg);
+  }
 
   /* the actual focus outline is not very visible, so use an ::after pseudo-element */
   .play-video-button:focus, .show-image-button:focus {
diff --git a/src/scss/themes/_base.scss b/src/scss/themes/_base.scss
index 0af1260c..6bdb2e6e 100644
--- a/src/scss/themes/_base.scss
+++ b/src/scss/themes/_base.scss
@@ -118,4 +118,6 @@
   --floating-button-bg-active: #{darken(rgba($main-bg-color, 0.9), 10%)};
 
   --length-indicator-color: #{$main-theme-color};
+
+  --audio-bg: #{rgba(30, 30, 30, 0.8)};
 }