Technology giant, Google has finally guaranteed to release an update of the Google Chrome browser, to solve the problem of the infuriating autoplay of videos on its browser. However, they come with a lot of exceptions, that might actually make the problem even worse.
Many Google Chrome users have endured agony from sound coming out of one browser tab while being on a totally different tab. Even though Google made it easier to locate the noisy tab by adding a microphone icon next to it, it is still a nuisance, and also eats up a heap of data for mobile users.
Google has now revealed new directions for the developers of the Chrome 63, which will be released in October. It will add the option of turning off any such videos on certain websites and by January next year, the Chrome 64 will block any autoplay videos with sound. However, with some cautions.
Google software engineer, Mounir Lamouri revealed that the autoplay will only be allowed when the video will not play any sound, or when the user has shown some interest in that particular video.
The problem of autoplaying videos have been a nuisance for web users
This will thus, allow autoplay if the users desire to watch the video, and also block autoplay if the users do not wish to watch it. As a result, it will also blend desktop and mobile versions of Google Chrome, thus also making web media development more foreseeable across different platforms and browsers.
However, after reading the technical details of the upgrade of the Google Chrome, it might not seem too good for the user. The tech giant understands the motion of the user actively looking at a page as a sign that the user has indicated an interest in the media. Thus, the media will be autoplayed on a specific website if desktop users have played the video on a particular webpage previously, or if a mobile user has added that website to their home page.
Moreover, Google also takes a very backward step. As a result of making their new programme more trustable, Google reveals that it will remove the current block autoplay setting. This will be a massive disadvantage for mobile users as they will not block autoplay videos when the phone is in data-saving mode.
Although the media might be silent, the videos will still be able to play and burn itself through capped data. And with the autoplay options being removed, the users might actually get spammed with more autoplayed media than before. As it stands, it surely is a big example of one step forward, two steps back.
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