Microsoft Edge is finally killing off one of the worst things about being online
RIP auto play in Microsoft Edge
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Trying to track down annoying auto play music or video when browsing the internet could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new update toMicrosoft Edge.
Thebrowseris working on a tool that will finally allow users to stop auto playing media when online, in news that will be a relief to millions.
According to an entry in theMicrosoft 365 roadmap,MicrosoftEdge version 92 will include the option to change the default entry on allowing auto playing media in the browser.
So long autoplay
“To help you maintain your focus online, we have changed the default for auto playing media to Limit from Allow, beginning with Microsoft Edge version 92,” Microsoft noted in its release notes.
The feature is listed as rolling out now, and due to be completed before the end of July 2021. Users on Microsoft Edge beta channel will see the option for the new tool first, before a wider roll out later on.
Microsoft Edge currently offers two options for users to control media autoplay - “Allow” (the current default setting), where all videos on a website will play automatically with sound, and “Limit”, where media won’t be autoplayed on sites that a user has previously visited.
The ability to prevent media from auto playinghas been presentinGoogleChrome for some time, with the new update the latest from Microsoft Edge as the company looks to steal users to its browser.
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Recent data from Statcounter shows thatEdge has now overtakenestablished rival Firefox in the rankings to run second behind Chrome in the browser wars.
Figures for June suggest Microsoft Edge now holds 3.4% of the browser market, while Firefox has slipped to 3.29%, continuing a downward trajectory that has seen the browser either lose or maintain market share in ten of the last twelve months.
Since the start of the pandemic, Microsoft has delivered a host of upgrades for the browser, including a securepassword generator, in-builtprice comparison tool,vertical tab barand more.
Under the hood, the company worked hard to improve the speed and responsiveness of the browser too with features such assleeping tabsandstart-up boost, both of which are designed to optimize resource consumption.
Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK’s leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he’s not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.
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