The new auto-play policy gives more playback control to users by providing them with a tailored and improved online experience: this means that Chrome learns your browser preferences and autoplay the sound of the video accordingly. This new “power-saving” feature will block autoplay on videos that are hidden in a background tab or off-screen. For instance, Safari in macOS High Sierra blocks by default on most websites media with sounds and gives even more control to the users, by allowing them to choose where to play sound. "These changes will give users greater control over media playing in their browser, while making it easier for publishers to implement autoplay where it benefits the user.Safari is also working to block autoplay and give more flexibility to the users (and a more relaxing experience) to manage autoplay. "This site muting option will persist between browsing sessions, allowing users to customize when and where audio will play," Google said.
In addition, Chrome 63 will have a new option for users to "completely disable audio for individual sites". "These changes will also unify desktop and mobile web behavior, making web media development more predictable across platforms and browsers." "This will allow autoplay to occur when users want media to play, and respect users' wishes when they don't," Google's Software Engineer Mounir Lamouri said in a blog post (Opens in a new tab). In order to at least partly solve the autoplay video problem, and make Chrome more user-friendly, Google wants to give control over audio back to users.įrom January 2018, with Chrome 64, autoplay will work only when either there's no sound in the video or the user has shown interest in the clip.
You're listening to your Spotify list when the sound of an explosion from a random Hollywood disaster movie bursts into your ears, and you have to frenetically chase the Chrome tab responsible for the noise. The worst part of the experience, perhaps, is the audio. Adorable Tamagotchi copycat is here to save you from Chrome tab clutter