The iPhone is a lot less flexible when it comes to the user interface and settings. There are a lot of things you don’t like but can’t do anything about. One such feature is the autoplay of preview videos. Users have been asking for a way to stop it for a while. Looks like Apple has listened as there’s now a way to stop autoplaying video previews.
This feature, essentially a setting, was released with the launch of iOS 13. You can now turn off autoplay of video previews, but the feature will only work in apps. Original Apple app. Third-party applications will include settings for the respective application, if applicable.
Let’s get started.
1. What is video preview
A video preview is a short, usually 3-second preview of a video that you can watch before it actually plays. That will give you an idea of what the video is about without playing it.
A neat concept. It’s like a GIF with images taken from different parts of the video from start to finish. However, don’t confuse the preview with a GIF. It’s just one way to visualize it.
App developers use video previews to engage users, giving them a better understanding of what to expect from the video and from there from the app itself. If someone sends you a video message in iMessage, iOS will automatically play a video preview for you. That lets you know what’s in the video before it plays — a great way to interact with the video without having to play it first.
2. Why you should turn it off
For starters, it’s annoying. I don’t like the video preview because it’s distracting. Even the Star Wars director Rian Johnson gets distracted by autoplay. A lot of users are fed up with auto-playing video previews on Apple apps, Netflix, YouTube, and other social media and streaming apps. Apple TV will just be the latest in a long string of apps looking to drive user engagement.
There are other reasons too. Video previews can consume bandwidth, which can be an issue if you’re on mobile data. Data is precious and expensive, especially when you travel abroad.
A lot of people face motion sickness or sensitivity to motion. It gets worse when they are faced with sudden, unwanted, and unforeseen movements on the screen.
The same thing happened in 2013 with the launch of iOS 7. Apple introduced a new feature called Parallax. It gives the impression that different layers of the home screen are moving when you tilt the phone. A lot of people feel seasick and are looking for ways to neutralize it.
The same is true for video previews. When they automatically play without your permission, it can make you nervous.
3. How to turn off Autoplay Video Preview
Users have been complaining for months about autoplaying preview videos. You can find discussion threads on this on Reddit, Quora, and other forums. Finally, iOS 13 introduced a button that would disable autoplay of video previews, but only in Apple’s native apps like the App Store and iMessage.
Open Settings and tap Accessibility then Motion.
There are two options here. One is Autoplay Video Preview, which disables video preview across all Apple apps. Another option worth noting here is Auto-Play Message Effects.
That option will disable GIFs, videos, and other animations your friends send you via iMessage. Have you ever opened a message and saw hearts or confetti flying all over the screen? Don’t like what you see or does it remind you of that fishing trip? You can avoid that feeling by turning the feature off here.
I’m glad the options are easily accessible.
What about third-party apps? In a logical move, Apple decided to build this feature into its API. That means app developers can choose to disable auto-playing video previews or even let users control themselves if they want. And that is the question.
It turns out that video previews are a great way to engage viewers. It’s so obvious on your face that it’s almost impossible to ignore. With the streaming wars heating up with the launch of Apple TV+ and Disney+, there is little hope for where the video previews will go.
Opt out instead of opting in
Video Preview’s autoplay is a classic example of an Opt-out strategy instead of giving the user a choice to choose an option to enable them. While there are users who will enjoy these features as they can be appealing, not everyone likes autoplaying video previews. They’re a great way to find new content and engage with videos, but for a fee. You are the judge. After all, it’s your life and your device.
Next up: Do you want to stop automatically loading images and videos in Chrome and Firefox? Check out the next article below to find out how.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
