Google Chrome Will Start Blocking Those “Annoying” Auto-Play Videos Starting January

One can at least say the most annoying thing on the web so far is auto-play videos where you open a website and then you start hearing some really loud noise you didn’t ask for in the background. We may all have experienced that and one of the most embarrassing times would be for this to happen when you’re at work.

Users have since complained about this to internet giants but one of them has formally agreed that it would do something about it. Google says from Chrome 64, auto-play videos will not play unless the user shows interest in it obviously by hitting the play button.

In a blog post, Google says these videos will only play if a user has clicked on something on the site, added the site to home screen and this also means if you have frequently played media from the site, then there’s little Google can do about it. This would mean you have some interest in the site and what it has to offer including auto-play videos.

If you are signed in to Chrome on desktop or mobile, these changes will apply across board and as Google has put it, this is all designed to improve user experience and reduce data consumption.

On a final note in the post, Google says Chrome 63 will add the option of completely muting sites that produce such sounds. “This site muting option will persist between browsing sessions, allowing users to customize when and where audio will play.”

But the new policy will roll out starting in January 2018 which is enough time for such sites to adjust.

Another feature that comes to Chrome in 2018 is ad blocking in a bid to also stop unwanted pop up ads in-browser.