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Many websites still make use of the autoplay feature using videos and audio whenever anyone visits their domains, and this can get really annoying for users. Before, they had the option to simply mute the tab where these websites were open, but even this proved too much of a hassle. Now, Google is implementing an all-out ban on the feature, and all videos and audio files that autoplay are blocked.
This new feature is courtesy of the latest update to Chrome, which is at a version 66, at this point. Among the list of changes that the company has made include a more stable version for both Mac and Linux, and several bug fixes.
Of course, the biggest change is how the browser basically blocks videos and audio from auto-playing the moment that the site is opened. This helps in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to browsing the web in a place where silence is required. It’s never a pleasant experience to be doing research in a library by reading online publications and then suddenly, a loud noise blares from the device.
Then again, some people actually do like it when a website auto-plays videos or audios under certain settings. With the new update, Chrome can actually remember which websites users have a preference to when it comes to allowing the feature, The Verge reports. This means that if users click on a website and allowed music to play, the next time users visit the site, the feature will be activated.
In a recent blog post, Google product manager John Pallett explains some of the specifics with regards to the new version of chrome. He discusses the matter of autoplay, in particular.
“As you browse the web, that list changes as Chrome learns and enables autoplay on sites where you play media with sound during most of your visits, and disables it on sites where you don’t,” the post reads. “As you teach Chrome, you may find that you need to click ‘play’ every now and then, but overall the new policy blocks about half of unwanted autoplays, so you will have fewer surprises and less unwanted noise when you first arrive at a website.”
