Facebook's announcement to start autoplaying videos with sound by default has sent many users into a frenzy. However, when the technicalities of the situation are discussed, there's nothing to fear.
According to Tech Crunch, Facebook confirms that the videos will not autoplay with sound if the user already happens to be listening to music or anything else on your device. The user will need to toggle between audio by tapping the sound icon or choosing the full-screen mode for the video. Both these actions pause the other audio stream.
Many Facebook users took to Newsroom FB - a newsfeed announced by Facebook - to express their annoyance at having to deal with sound blasting from their devices in public. This removes the sneaking factor that most people employ to take a sly break during class, work, dinner or even a conversation. Luckily enough for them, the autoplay sound feature can be switched off from the Facebook Settings.
There are many reasons behind why Facebook decided to take this leap one of which is to ease use of video as that is really the future of Facebook. Users who need more reasons to believe in the feature's usefulness don't need to despair as there are plenty of those around for everyone.
The deference of audio control to the physical mute button on the device makes audio less confusing than configuring switch and toggle for each video. Users can simply put their phones on vibrate if they happen to be in public and the feature would be contained.
When tested it yielded plenty of positive feedback. Facebook stated that it had no intentions of adding the update to result in reduced usage of the application. An example of a similar practice is Snapchat, the biggest competitor of Facebook. The default sound on the app has made it a favorite.
Besides, video advertisers will be more than pleased. Given how it is important for an emotional reaction to occur in order to properly market a product, advertisers can easily achieve the desired results if their ads play on sound from the very first time.
Facebook is aware that some users might not welcome the change as well as others. However, it is taking a calculated bet that the benefits will outweigh the complaints of a vocal minority.
