Welp, Google is pausing its autoplay blocking feature
Google has been hyping its new autoplay-blocking feature for months. But it turns out the feature isn't quite ready for primetime.
The search giant has quietly disabled Chrome's autoplay-blocking feature for videos using the Web Audio API, which includes many online games.
Previously, Chrome would, by default, mute websites that autoplayed videos with sound. It was meant to do away with annoying ads and popups.
Unfortunately, it was also getting in the way of some web games and multimedia projects, and was blocking users from receiving some sound-based notifications, such as incoming calls.
"We've updated Chrome 66 to temporarily remove the autoplay policy for the Web Audio API," wrote Google Product Manager John Pallett on a Chrome bug report page (spotted by The Verge), in response to a number of user and developer complaints. "This change does not affect most media playback on the web, as the autoplay policy will remain in effect for
That said, Google plans to bring the policy back in October, according to Pallett. So developers have some time to make their programs compatible with Google's new policy -- but the clock is ticking.
Topics Google Innovations
Monica wrote for Mashable's Tech section with a focus on retail, internet of things, and the intersections of technology and social justice. She holds a degree in creative writing from Brown University, and has previously written for Dow Jones Media, the New York Post, Yahoo Finance, and others. In her free time, she can be found attempting to cook Asian food, buying board games, and looking for new hobbies.
