Google Chrome 66 will block many types of automatically playing videos. Not all are blocked by default, there are some exceptions, but the majority of auto-play videos should be blocked in the upcoming version of Google's browser.
The search giant expects to release Chrome 66 around April and Google explains that especially sites that aren't specifically made to display videos will notice the change. That means Netflix and Youtube videos won't be blocked from playing automatically. However, other sites that automatically play videos, whether those are advertisements or not, will see their auto-play videos blocked from that moment.
Four types of video will not be automatically blocked according to Google's new rules. Three exceptions are as fairly simple, videos without sounds are allowed, videos that play once a user has interaction with a site (such as clicking something) are allowed, and videos from sites pinned to the Android Homescreen are also allowed to automatically play video.
The last type of video that is not automatically blocked, is more complex. In the desktop browser of Chrome, Google will use the Media Engagement Index. This number is calculated by e.g. collecting how often a site is used for watching video. If a user visits the same website at least five times and in 70% of those visits specifically chooses to watch a video on that site, videos will automatically play. When the percentage drops below 50%, the automatic playback of video will be stopped. Another restriction is that the video needs to have a resolution of at least 200 x 140 pixels.
