Microsoft Edge reintroduces autoplay blocking for videos with sound

Microsoft reverses a decision it made in favor of ad providers, reintroducing the setting that allows videos set to automatically block auto-play when the web page loads. In its current form, Microsoft Edge only allows the autoplay feature to be accepted or at most limited. For example, videos can autoplay if you hover your cursor over them.

Although it has been restricted, autoplay support has still been abused using “loopholes” left at the suggestion of advertising companies to facilitate fair use of the feature. First with the Edge Canary release, Microsoft is reintroducing automatic autoplay blocking for all video clips embedded in web pages, addressing the problem of sites using clips and sound ads that are triggered by simply scrolling down the page.

“We’ve heard your requests for strict blocking of automatic media playback, and we’re pleased to report that the change has been made! Edge Canary now has a new autoplay setting, Lock, which allows you to stop autoplaying all media content on a site.” Microsoft states on its Edge Insider page.

Introduced as a stricter alternative to the Limit option, the new setting for blocking autoplay applies per-site, but doesn’t come checked by default.

Until the official debut, the setting can be accessed right from the address bar by typing edge://settings/content/mediaAutoplay, respectively Block from the displayed menu. Alternatively, you can also find the option under Cookies and Site Permissions from the menu Settings, choosing from the list the site for which you want to turn off the autoplay function.

Interestingly, the filter is already implemented in the Chrome browser under the name unified autoplay, promising users a more enjoyable experience without unwanted noise and with more control over what content can be played in the browser.