Google is finally giving Chrome users a way to deal with annoying videos that automatically play without their consent. The latest version of Chrome now lets users mute autoplay videos straight from the tab without having to open it.
Chrome will not straight up mute all autoplaying videos on all open tabs, which means users will still have to deal with that initial burst of ire that comes when autoplay videos start blasting off when a new tab gets opened. However, the browser will now allow users to easily mute individual tabs with two clicks, simply by right-clicking the offending tab and choosing the Mute Tab option from the dropdown menu that pops up.
The feature only works for users who have Chrome v.46. To check whether this is the version installed on their devices, users can click the hamburger button on the upper right corner of Chrome, go to Help and About then About Google Chrome. This will open up a new tab to show users if their version of Chrome is up to date.
For years, Google refused to add an option for users to mute individual tabs because it did not want to take on the ominous role of the censor.
"After much debate, we decided not to proceed with a tab mute control, as this crosses a very important line: if we provide Chrome controls for content, we're implying that Chrome should take on a responsibility to police content," said Googler Francois Beaufort.
However, Google did not block Chrome browsers and extensions that offered to do the same. In 2014, Google gave in a little to pressure from users who want tab indicators to let them know where the autoplaying sound is coming from, although users still had to open the tab and scroll through the website to manually switch off the sound. The feature was introduced in January last year in Chrome v.32. Now, it seems the Chrome team has finally yielded to user demand for such a feature, even as it lets go of other features that bulk up Chrome's footprint.
Google removed Chrome v.46's Notification Center and the ability to activate voice search with the "OK Google" hotword, explaining that users do not use these two features much.
