Instagram comes forward as one of the most popular and used social media all across the globe. It is mainly known for its immersive features and aesthetic visual settings. Well, Autoplay is one of those amazing Instagram features. It is specially designed to keep you engaged while scrolling.
The main aim of autoplay is to give you an engaging video-watching experience. However, few people seem to like it as it distracts them from work or makes them use more mobile data.
If you are one of those Instagram users who are annoyed by the autoplay feature and want to turn it off, this blog post is for you. Let’s take a look at how you can easily turn off autoplay on your Instagram and still enjoy it as per your liking.
Why Turn off Autoplay on Instagram?
There are many reasons why you might wish to turn off Instagram autoplay. Some common reasons include the following:
- Save Mobile Data: If you mostly scroll down through your feed, it is most likely possible that the autoplay feature can use a huge amount of data. People who already have limited mobile data may find it disturbing and want to turn off autoplay. So, every time they scroll, it consumes less data.
- Conserve Battery Life: Reels and videos often take more battery to play. The Autoplay feature may drain your battery faster. By turning it off, you can save your battery and still use Instagram regularly.
- Avoid Distractions: Sometimes, users just want to experience the image and avoid music and videos. A sudden sound may distract users and disrupt the user experience.
- Control Your Content Consumption: With Autoplay, you consume more content without even realizing it. You can save yourself from more screen time by turning the autoplay off.
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How to Turn Off Autoplay on Instagram
Let’s move on to our next most asked question. How exactly can you turn the autoplay off on Instagram? Unfortunately, Instagram does not allow users to completely turn off autoplay.
However, there are some underlying settings that help you reduce your data consumption. The “Data Saver” on Instagram basically stops videos from preloading for a while, which leads to less data consumption.
Both Android and iOS users easily turn on ‘Data Saver’ on their devices.
Step 1: Open Instagram and Access Your Profile
- Open the Instagram app on your device. Login to your account.
- On the right end side of the screen, you will see the profile option. Tap on it to go to your profile page.
Step 2: Access Settings
- At the very top right side of the profile, there are three horizontal lines. Tap on it to go to your profile, “Settings.”
- A menu bar will appear. Choose “Settings” from it.
Step 3: Go to Account Settings and Find ‘Data Usage’
- There are multiple options in the Settings. Choose “Account.” from these options.
- In the Account option, scroll down to ‘Data Usage” or “Cellular Data” based on Android and iOS devices.
Step 4: Enable Data Saver
- Turn on the Cellular Data Saver option using the toggle option behind it when you turn on this feature. It will not preload your videos and saves your mobile data. This indirectly means the videos do not automatically play.
- If you are still not satisfied with the autoplay settings, You can make some additional adjustments. Choose “High-Resolution Media” from Settings. Set it to “Never.” This ensures that even if you are connected with WIFI, Instagram won’t load high-resolution content.
Remember that this setting does not completely turn off autoplay. However, it minimizes its impact on certain levels.
Controlling Autoplay in Instagram Stories
Apart from Instagram reels and videos, Instagram stories also have autoplay features. This means the story continuously keeps changing without your intentions, which can sometimes be overwhelming. If you want to manage your Story autoplay, then try the following practices.
- Mute Stories: Although you can’t completely shut off autoplay in Instagram Stories. But you can mute certain users, which allows you to not see content from users you do not wish.
- Tap and Hold to Pause: If you want to stop the Story automatic forwarding, just tap and hold it for a long time. It will pause the story forwarding for a while.
- Exit Stories: Click the back button or cross on the right side of the screen to exit your stories on Instagram.
Turning Off Sound for Autoplay Videos
Sometimes, autoplay itself is not the main issue for most people. Instead, they are disrupted by the sudden sounds if you are one of those users who want to pause the sound of video during autoplay.
Do you know that the sound on Instagram works by default? Originally, it started with mute. But if you turn on the sound of one video, you’ll hear the videos of the rest as the Reels autoplaying.
On every Reel and Video on Insta, there is this little speaker icon. Tap on it to mute, which turns off the sound.
How to Manage Autoplay in Instagram Ads
Another content that you encounter autoplay is on Instagram Pop. The Ads automatically pops up while you are scrolling. Instagram has not yet offered any option that allows you to turn off the autoplay of ads.
However, you have the power to decide which types of ads you want to see in your feed. So, if you want to limit your exposure with Instagram autoplay ads, here’s how you do it.
If you find some ad disruptive or irrelevant, just tap the three dots at the corner and click on ‘Hide Ad’. Instagram Algorithm remembers this Setting and will no longer show you these ads again.
Another way to manage your Autoplay in Instagram Ads is by adjusting your Ad preferences. Go to Instagram Settings. Search ad in the search bar. Set your interest based on your preferences. Well, it will not turn off the autoplay. You still see Ads randomly, but it will only show you ads that you prefer.
Disabling Autoplay on Instagram Web Version
If you are using Instagram on a desktop, then you have to follow different steps to manage the autoplay feature for Videos and Reels. As it is discussed above, you can’t turn off the autoplay. But you may end the video playback for a little while.
Most browsers, like Firefox and Chrome, enable you to manage your autoplay. So, it directly means you do not have to turn it off through Instagram. Open browser settings > Media > Block. This will stop playing media on your browser.
Installing browser extensions also seems helpful for desktop users. It stops your videos from playing automatically on Instagram.
The Benefits of Disabling or Reducing Autoplay on Instagram
Although autoplay is made for the purpose of user engagement, there are various benefits to turning it off. For instance,
- Improved Control Over Content: Autoplay turnoff gives you more power over your content. It enables you to customize which type of content you want to consume and how much.
- Increased Focus: It has been proved that autoplay may cause distraction for most users. When you turn off autoplay, you can focus better on the content.
- Better Data and Battery Management: It helps save data, especially for users who have limited access to it. Autoplay consumes more data. Turning it off allows users to use data in a more effective way and for a longer period.
Other Methods to Control Autoplay
If you want to know how to limit the Autoplay option on other social media accounts, here’s a quick step.
- Facebook: Open Settings > Media > Autoplay..” turn it to “Never Autoplay Videos”. It will completely turn autoplay options.
- Twitter: Go to Settings > Data Usage > Video Autoplay. Set it to “Never.” It will also stop autoplaying videos.
- YouTube: On YouTube, you see an option “autoplay” on the top right screen of the video. Turn it off.
Final Thoughts
The Autoplay feature of Instagram can sometimes be overwhelming for most users. Although it is primarily used to enhance your engagement on the platform, it distracts you from focusing on specific content. It also drains your battery and consumes a lot of data, which is a nightmare for users with limited data.
Instagram has not yet introduced the turning off option for the autoplay. But it surely allows you to control it somehow by turning on the Data Saver. If you want to minimize your autoplay interaction, just follow the above-mentioned steps, and you will be good to go.
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Owner & Writer at SocialMediaSlant.com | Expert in Social Media Strategy & Content Creation
