Mounir Lamouri works as a software engineer at Google – more precisely, he works in the team for the company’s own browser Chrome. in Chromium Blog, Lamouri reports about a serious change included in the upcoming version 64 of the browser.
Starting in 2018: No more autoplay in chrome
As the software specialist writes, the new chrome version, which is due to be released in January 2018, will be extended by a particularly user-friendly feature.
Specifically, the Google browser will be supplemented by a technology that blocks all autoplay functions. This means that site operators and advertisers will no longer be able to surprise Chrome users with video and audio content that starts automatically with sound.
With this step, Google is sending out a clear signal for more satisfaction among its own users – and there are not just a few of them. In Germany, 34 percent of Internet users use Chrome. No other browser is used more often.
The exceptions
Although Google turns off the autoplay feature by default, there are some exceptions. Users of version 63 and above can create exceptions for individual pages in the browser settings.
For example, if you use YouTube a lot, you can bypass the block and allow videos to start automatically. Everyone should be aware that this permission also applies to advertising.
Even without access to the settings, the technology behind the browser detects when you manually start videos on certain pages over and over again. As a result, the algorithm may reactivate the autoplay function for these situations. If you don’t want this, you can undo it in the settings.
Despite the built-in protection, advertising can start automatically with sound. This is due to the settings of the site operator, if they consciously decide to present you with the ads.
