Skip to main content

Facebook tries out automatic audio for its videos — stay tuned for user reactions

While autoplaying videos have become a standard feature of Facebook on your mobile device, a new test in some regions is experimenting with playing the sound from those videos automatically as well. Mashable reports that Facebook users in Australia will see — or more accurately, hear — the new feature starting Tuesday.

There are two versions of the test: the first plays sound as soon as the video begins on the device, while others will have to activate the sound by tapping an icon in the lower right hand corner of the videos. The latter is currently the same method that is used in current versions of Facebook elsewhere.

Recommended Videos

Even with the autoplaying of sound, the app still obeys your volume settings. So if your phone’s on silent the sound won’t play. But if it’s on, each video will start playing sound as you scroll by it — unless you specifically opt against it by making a change to your Facebook settings.

Tuesday’s move is yet more evidence that the social networking site sees its future in video. Earlier this year it began pushing users to use its Facebook Live feature by giving it prime real estate with an always visible button in the top menu bar of the app. It now even lets you post videos as replies to Facebook posts, too. Add to this multiple instances where Facebook executives have publicly talked up video as the future of the service, and the tests make much more sense.

But despite Facebook’s enthusiasm, this feature seems destined to become a flashpoint. Web users have complained in the past about advertisers that have employed similar tactics, and some Digital Trends’ readers have complained to us over the years when videos played automatically as part of our stories. That should be for content that the reader is actively searching out.

Will our Australian friends have a similar reaction to Facebook’s new video functionality? Time will tell.

Ed Oswald
For fifteen years, Ed has written about the latest and greatest in gadgets and technology trends. At Digital Trends, he's…
Bluesky finally adds a feature many had been waiting for
A blue sky with clouds.

Bluesky has been making a lot of progress in recent months by simplifying the process to sign up while at the same time rolling out a steady stream of new features.

As part of those continuing efforts, the social media app has just announced that users can now send direct messages (DMs).

Read more
Reddit just achieved something for the first time in its 20-year history
The Reddit logo.

Reddit’s on a roll. The social media platform has just turned a profit for the first time in its 20-year history, and now boasts a record 97.2 million daily active users, marking a year-over-year increase of 47%. A few times during the quarter, the figure topped 100 million, which Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman said in a letter to shareholders had been a “long-standing milestone” for the site.

The company, which went public in March, announced the news in its third-quarter earnings results on Tuesday.

Read more
Worried about the TikTok ban? This is how it might look on your phone
TikTok splash screen on an Android phone.

The US Supreme Court has decided to uphold a law that would see TikTok banned in the country on January 19. Now, the platform has issued an official statement, confirming that it will indeed shut down unless it gets some emergency relief from the outgoing president.

“Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” said the company soon after the court’s verdict.
So, what does going dark mean?
So, far, there is no official statement on what exactly TikTok means by “going dark.” There is a lot of speculation out there on how exactly the app or website will look once TikTok shutters in the US.

Read more