Facebook recently made an update to its website and app that automatically played videos. The feature has been turned on automatically, so every time you hover over or scroll down to a video posted by your friends, it plays, with the volume muted.
Trouble is, all these videos playing can use up a lot of data, especially if you’re a bit of a Facebook addict. And if you’re like us, almost every one of your friends has an ALS Ice Bucket Challenge video ready to auto-play.
HOW TO TURN AUTO-PLAY OFF
You can stop the app from playing videos without you clicking play though. Go to App settings, scroll down and edit the Video Auto-Play options. You can either turn them off completely, or turn the setting to Wi-Fi Only. This means the videos won’t play when you’re using your valuable data allowance, only when you’re on a Wi-Fi internet connection. That way you still see the videos, but only when it won’t end up costing you money.
If you’re not a fan of auto-playing videos on the desktop site either, head to Settings, then Videos, and turn the Auto-Play feature to Off.