Autoplay video with sound
Auto-playing Video Ads with Sound · experience 11 of 23
A video ad that starts playing by itself and already with sound, without the person touching anything. On mobile, in a public place, this catches the person by surprise and causes embarrassment.
Understand it in 1 minute
This is a video ad that starts playing on its own and with sound, without any action from the person. The Coalition for Better Ads explains that this experience is very disruptive because it catches the reader by surprise. Often the person closes the window or tab very quickly just to stop the sound. On mobile the problem is even bigger when the person is in a public place, where this noise bothers those nearby and embarrasses the person holding the phone.
The deciding point is sound without a tap. According to the Coalition, ads that need a click to activate the sound did not fall below the standard. So, if the audio only turns on when the person taps the video or the sound button, the ad is outside this rule. In the tests, the experience evaluated was the in-line video that starts on its own with sound.
A decision by the Coalition's Interpretation Panel helps to see the right side. The panel looked at a vertical video that sits between paragraphs and starts playing without sound when half of it appears on the screen. The sound only turns on if the person decides, and they can scroll past the video at any time. The panel compared this format with the tested "video that starts on its own without sound" and "full-screen in text" experiences, which did not fall below the standard, and concluded that it meets the standard on mobile web. The Coalition also warns that it has not yet tested, for this rule, the pre-roll and mid-roll of a video related to the page topic.
Allowed
- A video ad that only turns the sound on when the person taps.
- A video ad that starts on its own, but without sound.
- A vertical video between paragraphs that starts without sound and can be scrolled past (Interpretation Panel decision).
- Pre-roll or mid-roll of a video related to the page topic: the Coalition has not yet tested this case in this rule.
- An animated banner with no audio.
Not allowed
- A video ad in the middle of the text that starts playing with sound on its own, without a tap.
- A video that starts muted and turns the audio on by itself after a few seconds.
- A video ad with sound that starts while the page is still loading, without a tap.
- A video ad that plays with low sound, without the person tapping.
In practice
Imagine someone reading an entertainment site on a phone, on the bus. A video ad in the middle of the text starts playing on its own, with sound, without them tapping anything. They feel embarrassed and close the tab to stop the noise. This is the case the Coalition describes. If the video started without sound and the audio only turned on with a tap, it would not fall below the standard.
Why it's annoying
Sound without warning is embarrassing, especially in public, and makes people leave right away.
How to fix
- Make ad videos always start muted.
- Show a large button to turn the sound on.
- Avoid autoplay on poor networks (data usage).
In ConsentMode
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