It can be quite annoying when a video or GIF plays on your Twitter timeline without you intending it to. This is why I will be explaining how you can turn off Twitter auto-playing videos on your device. In addition, I will also discuss possible reasons why you can’t, and how to troubleshoot.
Can you Stop Twitter from auto-playing Videos?
Yes, you can turn Twitter autoplay off. Although the autoplay feature on Twitter, by default, is enabled, it can be turned off easily on any of your devices: desktop, android or iOS. This autoplay feature automatically plays videos or GIFs on your timeline, albeit muted.
There are important reasons why the auto-play feature should be disabled. So, how do you turn off the auto-play Twitter feature? I will be explaining how to turn of the autoplay feature on any of your devices in the subsequent parts of this article.
How to turn off Twitter autoplay on a desktop computer?
Videos or GIFs Twitter autoplay feature can be turned off while using Twitter for Web on your desktop by following these simple steps. I will be giving a detailed, step-by-step guide on how you can turn off the autoplay feature on your desktop.
- First, sign up or log in to your Twitter account on your web browser.
- After opening your Twitter account, click “More” on the Menu list on your left.
- Select “Settings and privacy” on the drop-down options.
- Click on the “Accessibility, display, and languages” option.
- Select the “Data usage” option that appears on the right of your screen.
- Click on the “Autoplay” option.
- Last, select “Never”.
How to turn off autoplay on Twitter on iOS and Android phones?
It’s a similar but slightly different steps to turning off the autoplay Twitter feature on your mobile device. The detailed step-by-step guide will be highlighted below.
- First, open your Twitter app.
- Click on your profile picture or avatar on your top left.
- Select “Settings and Privacy” at the bottom of the menu.
- Click on “Accessibility, display, and languages” at the bottom of the page.
- Select the “Data usage” option.
- Click on “Video autoplay” towards the bottom of the page.
- The last step is clicking on the “Never” option.
Can’t turn off Twitter auto-play
There are some possible reasons why you can’t complete the highlighted steps and successfully turn off the auto-play feature on your Twitter account. So, what are these reasons, and how can you go about solving them?
I will be highlighting some reasons why you cannot turn off your Twitter auto-play feature, and how to troubleshoot each issue.
Old Twitter Version: The autoplay feature was introduced to desktop and iOS users on the 16th of June. So, if your Twitter app happened to be out-of-date beyond 2015, you may have difficulty turning off the auto-play feature. What you should do is simply update your app to the current version.
Weak Wi-Fi or mobile internet connection: This is one of the common reasons why you wouldn’t be able to turn off the auto-play feature. Make sure you have a strong signal reception on your desktop or mobile device.
Disabled mobile data or unconnected Wi-Fi: Following these steps means having an internet connection on the device you are accessing Twitter from. Make sure your device is connected to the internet.
Advantages of Disabling auto-play on your Twitter
There are important advantages to turning off the autoplay feature on your Twitter account. If you don’t know already, I will be identifying some, below.
- It helps you focus while interacting with posts on your timeline.
- You get little distraction while enjoying feeds on your timeline.
- It saves your data.
- It gives you time to read a video or GIF description to know if you would like it opened or not.
- It gives you the freedom to choose what you want to see on your Twitter timeline.
- Videos or GIFs aren’t forced on you, which is the default auto-play feature.
- You don’t have to hastily close or scroll past videos you don’t like, as they aren’t playing.
- Promoted or advertised posts containing videos can be easily scrolled past without them playing.
