We say this because in all effect, Chrome 64 will put an end to the annoying auto-playing videos on PC as well as phone. This is what Google is calling as a ‘Unified Experience’ across phones and desktop.
With Chrome 64, Google will take things to the next level. Websites which play auto-playing videos will only be allowed to play videos in one of these three conditions:
If the audio in the auto-playing has been muted by default If a user expresses interest in the content If the user has added the site to the home screen
When it comes to ‘expressing interest’, Google clarifies it up by stating this means if the user has clicked anywhere on the webpage. The reason Google gives for this sudden display of aggression towards auto-playing content is that unexpected media playback can consume data, power and annoy the users with unwanted noise. Google has been improving the state of online advertising over the years. While some might call it muscle flexing from Google, the fact is that this is indeed good for the consumers. Last August, Google had begun ‘punishing’ webmasters with obtrusive ads on their webpages. This time around, the company is looking forward to put an end to the annoying auto-play ads. Google started this war against Auto-Playing content with the announcement of Chrome 63 where they allowed the users to mute certain websites forever. (You can check out our complete report of this update here). Interestingly, Chrome 63 will also warn users about MitM attacks. The Chrome 64 update would begin to roll out in January 2018. Stay tuned with us for more updates.
