Google Chrome will finally block annoying autoplay videos

Not many people ask me why I use an ad blocker because, well, chances are everyone’s using an ad blocker. But if someone were to ask me why I use an ad blocker, I’d only need to make them visit the first major news website that comes to mind.

I don’t know what it is about CNet and Fox and the like, but no matter how loud users scream they continue to plague their front pages with automatic playback ads at unnerving volumes.

Chrome has given us a way to ease the pain over the years with a handy mute tab option, but it’s a reactive one that still won’t save your ears from the pain unless you’ve been to that site before. Thankfully, an upcoming update changes that.

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Chrome 66 will add an algorithm for detecting and muting tabs that are about to automatically play videos with sound. Some autoplay ads will still get through if they don’t start with sound, but this is mostly a non-issue — the sound is what really gets our gears in a jam. If you actually want those ads back, you’ll be able to click on them. That’s what we call a classic win-win, folks.

via Chromium