Facebook has updated their mobile app and changed the way videos automatically play on your feed. Now these videos auto-play with sound.
If you’re somewhere quiet, perhaps in a meeting or maybe a movie, you may not want to open up the app, unless you’re ok with anyone near you hearing whatever video you come across while scrolling. But there are a few ways to avoid this new feature in the app.
The change in the app has slowly been rolling out for months but recently got around to a bunch of users who received popup alerts in the app about the it. The alert reads: “Now It’s Easier to Enjoy Video. We’re always working to make Facebook a better place to watch videos. That’s why videos now play with sound on automatically. Use the volume icon on any video to make the sound right for you.”
In small letters at the bottom of the message is a line of text that says, “You can also mute your phone or turn off sound in your app settings.”
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The new addition has some users frustrated and some have taken to Twitter to complain about the change. Several users said they would just stop using the app.
But before you go ahead and deleted the app or your account, there are a few ways to disable the auto playing sound. One option is to mute your phone, which can be a little inconvenient for those who don’t want to constantly change the volume upon opening various apps. To do this just turn the volume on your phone all the way down before opening Facebook.
Your second option is to change your Facebook settings within the app on your device. The directions for this vary slightly from device to device.
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On an iPhone, first open up the Facebook app and choose the icon at the bottom right that looks like three horizontal lines. Next scroll down and select “Settings” and then “Account Settings.” Once you do this your phone will load a new page with a list that includes “Sounds,” select it and then toggle the option “Videos in News Feed Start With Sound” to the off position. It’s in the off position if there is no green.
Making this change on an Android device is actually easier. Again start out by choosing the icon that is three horizontal lines, this will be at the top of your screen. Then scroll down to “App Settings,” the option to turn on or off the “Videos in News Feed Start With Sound” setting should be right there. Just ensure it’s in the off position, the one that’s not blue.
If you take these steps but don't see the "Videos in News Feed Start With Sound" option, you may not have gotten the update yet.