Instagram introduced autoplaying videos a while ago, but one of things that Instagram did back then to prevent autoplay videos from being annoying is that it muted it by default. This means that users would have to tap on a video to turn on the sound, which is good since we’re sure that no one wants videos suddenly blasting at full volume when they’re out and about.
However it seems that Instagram has decided to make some controversial changes with regards to how audio is handled in autoplay videos. The audio in videos will still continue to be muted by default, however if you were to tap on one of the videos to hear its audio, this will be applied to all future videos in the app until Instagram has been closed.
If you’ve noticed this change over the weekend, know that you’re not alone and according to TechCrunch, Instagram has confirmed with the publication that this is indeed part of an update that they are rolling out across the app. We’re not sure why Instagram has made these changes, but the company claims that having to turn on sound for each video can be “frustrating” for some users.
We suppose Instagram could also be acting on the assumption that if you unmute one video that you’re in a location where playing audio out loud is not an issue, although we would have preferred if users were given the option. Either way it’s something to keep in mind the next time you use the app.