Facebook Video Sound: How To Disable New Autoplaying Audio Feature

Most modifications made to Facebook are met with protest from users because they simply don’t care for change, but Facebook’s decision to implement auto-playing video with sound on mobile devices presents a real hassle for people.

First and foremost, it’s a feature that most people don’t want—and Facebook knows it. A study published by the social network in 2016 found that 80 percent of users react negatively when an advertisement automatically plays with audio enabled. It also noted users react negatively to the platform that allows such videos to play.

More than just being an annoyance, auto-playing videos with audio on presents an accessibility problem for Facebook’s users who are visually impaired. They rely on screen reading software that delivers information on screen verbally, and that audio is often drowned out by videos that start without notice. Closing or muting those videos can also be a challenge.

AbilityNet, a charity based in the United Kingdom that helped people with disabilities make use of technology, has advised against automatically enabled audio and suggests ensuring audio is unobtrusive when it is included while offering and easily accessible stop button, either on screen or via keyboard shortcut.

Likewise, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)—which helps develop web standards and advocates for a more accessible web for people with disabilities—has discouraged auto-playing audio content.

Luckily, there is a way to opt out of the intrusive and potentially harmful feature that Facebook has decided to implement.

How To Turn Off Auto-Playing Video With Audio

Start by making sure your iOS or Android device is up to date with the most recent version of the Facebook app.

iPhone and iPad

Open the Facebook app and choose the Menu button at the bottom right hand of the screen—it’s the icon with three horizontal lines. Tap on the Settings option, found under the Setting header. A menu will pop up. Tap on Account Settings.

Once you’re in the Account settings, find the Sounds option and tap it. You should see an option that reads “Videos in News Feed Start With Sound.” Make sure it is toggled off. This will make sure videos are muted when they start playing in your News Feed.

You can also disable auto-playing videos entirely by returning to the Menu option, opening the Settings menu, going to Account Settings, and tapping on Videos and Photos.

From here, you’ll see an Autoplay menu that will give you a number of options. You can set videos to autoplay while on mobile and WiFi connection, on WiFi only, or not at all. Select “Never Autoplay Videos” if you want to turn the feature off entirely.

Android

Android users should open the Facebook app and tap the Menu button—the one with three horizontal lines—on the bottom right-hand part of the screen. Tap on App Settings, find the Videos in News Feed Start With Sound setting, and make sure it is disabled.

To do away with autoplaying videos entirely on Android, open the Menu option, tap App Settings, and tap Autoplay. Choose “Never Autoplay Videos” to make sure videos never start without your permission.