How To Turn Off Autoplay Videos on Social Media

You’ve probably been caught off guard by videos that play automatically on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – in fact, just across the internet in general. They begin playing as soon as you load a page or (if they’re more deviously implemented) when you start scrolling through a page to catch your attention.  Whether you just want to put an end to autoplay videos on social media platforms, or are looking for a more comprehensive fix, here are some tips, courtesy the experts at The Verge. Keep in mind that you’ll need to adjust these settings for every device that you use, since your preferences on, say, your phone do not automatically push to your PC.

 

How to turn off Autoplay Videos on Facebook

If you’re using Facebook on your browser, you can turn off autoplay videos by navigating to the Settings menu found within the drop-down menu at the top right of the page. Look for the Videos listing on the left-hand menu. Inside of that option is a toggle where you can turn off autoplaying videos.  Facebook has similar options available for its iOS and Android apps, but it’s much harder to find than on a browser.

If you use an iPhone or iPad:

• Click the menu button on the bottom of your screen.
• Once you’re there, tap “Settings & Privacy,” then “Settings.”
• From there, scroll down until you find “Media and Contacts,” then tap “Videos and Photos.”
• Finally, once you find “Autoplay,” you can turn off the feature.

If you use an Android phone or tablet:

• Click the menu button at the top right of your screen.
• Once you’re there, scroll down and tap “Settings & Privacy,” then “Settings.”
• From there, scroll down until you find “Media and Contacts.”
• Finally, once you find “Autoplay,” you can set it to “Never Autoplay Videos.”

How to turn off Autoplay Videos on Twitter

The steps to turn off autoplay videos on your browser differ if you’ve opted in for the newer design.

If you opted in for the new design:

• Click on your profile name, and “Settings and privacy” will be nested within the menu.
• Once you’ve been taken to the settings menu, look for “Data usage” on the side panel.
• Click on the “Video autoplay” setting. You can then switch off the autoplaying of videos on your feed.

If you haven’t opted in for the updated look:

• Click on your profile name, and “Settings and privacy” will be nested within the menu.
• Once you’ve been taken to the settings menu, look for “Account” on the side panel.
• Under the “Content” heading, you’ll be able to unclick “Video Autoplay.”

For iOS and Android apps:

The process involves a similar amount of steps on the iOS and Android apps.

• Click the profile picture at the top of your phone screen.
• Select “Settings and privacy” in the menu.
• Navigate to “Data usage.” Under the “Video” section, set the “Video autoplay” option to “never.”

How to turn off Autoplay Videos on Instagram

The Instagram app doesn’t allow for autoplay videos to be turned off, so you’ll have to tread carefully here. Videos don’t autoplay if you use Instagram on your browser, but since almost all of the service’s users are using it on mobile devices, there’s currently no way around it.

—
Photo Credit: tanuha2001 / Shutterstock.com