Google brings chrome policy for blocking autoplay audio videos

New Delhi : Google keeps on bringing new things for its users and this time, it has revised its chrome policy. With the launch of the Google Chrome 66 for desktops, the search engine started blocking audio and video that automatically played on certain wesbites. Now, the company has customized the policy it uses to block unwanted autoplays. It is an effort to improve the experience users have on sites they want to autoplay media.

Now Google Chrome for desktop will learn preferences of users over time to decide which sites they visit with videos that play when the pages load.

Google's product manager John Pallett claims that Chrome users use the browser as a TV, phone, radio, and jukebox for the "wide range of media experiences the web world has in store." When users open certain sites, Google has made it easier for them to play media files. Instead of hitting the 'Play' button every time, Chrome will automatically start playing videos. However, there could be many sites that play sounds that the users may not be expecting and that can be annoying. Google says that people usually pause, mute, or close such tabs within six seconds. In a move to stop them, Chrome has introduced the new feature that aims to only "block unwanted autoplays".

Chrome is equipped to achieve all the required "learning your preferences." If a user doesn't have browsing history on a particular browser instance, Chrome by default will allow autoplay for over 1,000 sites where the highest percentage of visitors play media with sound. Thereafter, Chrome learns from users' browsing history and changes the whitelisted sites. It enables autoplay on sites where users play media with sound during most of their visits. Also, it disables it on sites where they don't. This way, Chrome is able to provide individual users a "personalised and predictable browsing experience."

Google, the American multinational technology company says that initially, users may have to click 'play' more often, as the new policy is meant to blocks about half of the unwanted autoplays. Interestingly, the new feature is enabled in the latest version of Chrome and users can update it right now on their desktop.