One of the most annoying experiences while surfing the web must be when a video automatically plays out of the blue. These videos can pop up on Facebook, Twitter or any other site in particular. They either start playing once a page is loaded or in some cases, as the page is scrolled through a bit.
Although this feature can be helpful in some cases, it’s best to have it disabled and not surprise the users. The biggest con of this feature can be that the automatically played content might be something that shouldn’t be seen by the user (for example, video or pictures featuring violence or other unacceptable content).
Taking note of the troubles it has been causing, several browsers and services have now started implementing ways to stop such videos from playing automatically. While some of these have offered permanent fix to this issue, many involve a manual approach to turn such videos off.
Mentioned here are how to turnoff autoplay videos in commonly used browsers and social media services.
For Browser, you will have to proceed to Settings, after which you will have to locate the Videos listings (on the left-hand menu). In that option, you will spot the toggle which will let you turn off autoplaying videos.
For iOS Devices, go to Menu -> Settings & Privacy -> Settings -> Media and Contacts -> Videos and Photos -> Autoplay -> turn off.
For Android Devices, go to Menu -> Settings & Privacy -> Settings -> Media and Contacts -> Autoplay -> Never Autoplay Videos.
For Browser with the outdated design, go to Profile -> Settings and Privacy -> Account -> Video Autoplay -> unselect
For Android and iOS, you will have to proceed by selecting Profile -> Settings and privacy -> Data Usage -> Video Autoplay -> never.
So, it’s important for you to be careful while using the app. On the browser version, videos don’t autoplay at all. However, majority of the users access Instagram through its mobile app and there’s no way to turn this annoying and (potentially) harmful feature, as of now.
Chrome has no toggle dedicated entirely to turning off such videos. However, starting from version 66, for almost every site, Google autoplays videos based on yours and others’ preferences, which it figures out through your activities.
Although it is not a permanent fix and doesn’t cover every site there is, but it is a plausible solution, considering the fact there is no separate switch to turn the feature off.
You can also manually turn this feature off by adjusting each site’s settings to “Block” or you can turn off the Javascript, but it will likely affect other functionalities as well.
Even on Firefox, there might be times when you can see an unwanted video start playing automatically, but its approach is the best one, when it comes to browsers and it will definitely work on introducing an even credible option as time goes by.
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Although this feature can be helpful in some cases, it’s best to have it disabled and not surprise the users. The biggest con of this feature can be that the automatically played content might be something that shouldn’t be seen by the user (for example, video or pictures featuring violence or other unacceptable content).
Taking note of the troubles it has been causing, several browsers and services have now started implementing ways to stop such videos from playing automatically. While some of these have offered permanent fix to this issue, many involve a manual approach to turn such videos off.
Mentioned here are how to turnoff autoplay videos in commonly used browsers and social media services.
FACEBOOK:
For Browser, you will have to proceed to Settings, after which you will have to locate the Videos listings (on the left-hand menu). In that option, you will spot the toggle which will let you turn off autoplaying videos.
For iOS Devices, go to Menu -> Settings & Privacy -> Settings -> Media and Contacts -> Videos and Photos -> Autoplay -> turn off.
For Android Devices, go to Menu -> Settings & Privacy -> Settings -> Media and Contacts -> Autoplay -> Never Autoplay Videos.
TWITTER:
For Browser with new design, go to Profile -> Settings and Privacy -> Data Usage -> Video Autoplay -> switch offFor Browser with the outdated design, go to Profile -> Settings and Privacy -> Account -> Video Autoplay -> unselect
For Android and iOS, you will have to proceed by selecting Profile -> Settings and privacy -> Data Usage -> Video Autoplay -> never.
INSTAGRAM:
Unfortunately, Instagram hasn’t introduced a mechanism to stop the autoplaying videos, yet. There’s currently no way to turn off such videos from popping up.So, it’s important for you to be careful while using the app. On the browser version, videos don’t autoplay at all. However, majority of the users access Instagram through its mobile app and there’s no way to turn this annoying and (potentially) harmful feature, as of now.
YOUTUBE:
Google has a nifty guide on its support page to make "it easier to decide what to watch next" on computers, android and iOS devices.CHROME:
Chrome has no toggle dedicated entirely to turning off such videos. However, starting from version 66, for almost every site, Google autoplays videos based on yours and others’ preferences, which it figures out through your activities.
Although it is not a permanent fix and doesn’t cover every site there is, but it is a plausible solution, considering the fact there is no separate switch to turn the feature off.
You can also manually turn this feature off by adjusting each site’s settings to “Block” or you can turn off the Javascript, but it will likely affect other functionalities as well.
FIREFOX:
Firefox, unlike Chrome, is tackling this issue in a much better way. Its latest version 66 introduces an option to mute the autoplaying videos. All such videos will remain muted, unless they are clearly allowed by a user to be played for a specific site.Even on Firefox, there might be times when you can see an unwanted video start playing automatically, but its approach is the best one, when it comes to browsers and it will definitely work on introducing an even credible option as time goes by.
Read Next: How to Stay Safe When Working On Public Wi-Fi (infographic)
What browsers are out there that don't autoplay videos at all? i.e. actually respect my wishes to *never* play unless I explicitly click on the play button on the video? I don't want something running muted, I don't want it at all.
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