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Disable autoplaying for videos in Instagram

Get annoyed when you launch Instagram only to be met with a plethora of annoying sounds from autoplaying videos? You're not alone; here's how to disable it.

Jason Cipriani Contributing Writer, ZDNet
Jason Cipriani is based out of beautiful Colorado and has been covering mobile technology news and reviewing the latest gadgets for the last six years. His work can also be found on sister site CNET in the How To section, as well as across several more online publications.
Jason Cipriani

Jason Cipriani/CNET

No matter how you feel about Instagram adding video, I think we can all agree that being greeted with a random sound every time you launch the app and a video starts playing without you doing a thing is very annoying.

As previously touched on when video capabilities in Instagram first launched, you can disable the "feature" (more like curse) of autoplay with just a few quick taps. I have to hand it to the Instagram team for even putting the option in the app.

Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
  1. Launch Instagram and navigate to your profile page.
  2. From there, tap on the Settings gear (iOS) or the three dots (Android) in the top-right corner.
  3. Scroll down to the Preferences section, find the "Auto-Play Videos" option, and uncheck the box.

Congratulations, you're now free from hearing your friend's dog bark, a child cry, or a waiter reciting the night's specials every time you launch Instagram.

Henceforth, in order to play a video you'll need to tap on it and wait for it to load.