There are occasions when you could wish to forestall movies and GIFs from routinely enjoying in your social media feeds. This may very well be since you’re attempting to preserve mobile knowledge, restrict the addictiveness of those apps, or keep higher management over your viewing expertise, as when a video goes viral that you simply don’t want to see. Regardless of the purpose may be, listed here are the steps to show off autoplaying movies and GIFs on common social media platforms.
Fb
To show off autoplay on Fb, navigate to your profile image icon, which seems within the high proper nook of the desktop model or within the backside navigation bar of the cell app. Then, scroll right down to “Settings & Privateness,” then choose “Preferences,” the place you’ll discover a menu possibility for “Media.” Inside that menu, there may be an choice to toggle video playback in your Feed and in Tales. Choose the “By no means” possibility.
The fast path: Settings > Preferences > Media > Video Playback > By no means.
On the Instagram app, faucet your profile image within the bottom-right nook. When you’re in your profile web page, faucet the menu icon within the higher proper nook of your display screen (it’s the icon with three horizontal traces). Then, scroll to “Settings and exercise,” then navigate to “Your app and media,” the place you’ll discover “Media high quality.” From there, you’ll be able to toggle on the choice to “Use much less mobile knowledge.”
This isn’t as foolproof as a “don’t autoplay content material” setting, however it’s going to at the least sluggish issues down for those who’re off Wi-Fi. Instagram additionally gained’t autoplay sounds until you click on on a submit with sound first.
The fast path: Profile > Settings and exercise > Your app and media > Media high quality > Use much less mobile knowledge.
X (Twitter)
On X, navigate to your profile image within the high left to entry the sidebar (on desktop, the sidebar is already seen). Then, choose “Settings and privateness” — this might be in smaller font on the backside of the menu on the app, and on cell, it’s a must to faucet the three dots on the finish of the record to deliver up extra choices, which incorporates “Settings and privateness.” Subsequent, scroll right down to “Accessibility, show, and languages,” which can open one other menu with a “Information utilization” possibility, the place you’ll be able to flip off “Video autoplay.”
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You could be additional thorough by navigating again to “Settings and privateness” and choosing “Show and sound.” There, you’ll be able to toggle off “Media previews.”
The fast path: Settings and privateness > Accessibility, show, and languages > Information utilization > Video autoplay, and Settings and privateness > Show and sound > Media previews.
Bluesky
Entry Bluesky’s menu by tapping the three-line icon within the higher left nook of the cell app, then select “Settings” on the backside of the record. On desktop, this menu is accessible by way of the sidebar. Choose “Content material and media,” which can show choices that embody “Autoplay movies and GIFs.” Toggle this feature off.
The fast path: Settings > Content material and media > Autoplay movies and GIFs.
Threads
Sadly, Meta’s two-year-old microblogging platform doesn’t but provide a method to flip off autoplay. Hopefully, that’s on the product roadmap.