Trying to track down annoying auto play music or video when browsing the internet could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new update to Microsoft Edge.
The browser is working on a tool that will finally allow users to stop auto playing media when online, in news that will be a relief to millions.
According to an entry in the Microsoft 365 roadmap, Microsoft Edge version 92 will include the option to change the default entry on allowing auto playing media in the browser.
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So long autoplay
"To help you maintain your focus online, we have changed the default for auto playing media to Limit from Allow, beginning with Microsoft Edge version 92," Microsoft noted in its release notes.
The feature is listed as rolling out now, and due to be completed before the end of July 2021. Users on Microsoft Edge beta channel will see the option for the new tool first, before a wider roll out later on.
Microsoft Edge currently offers two options for users to control media autoplay - "Allow" (the current default setting), where all videos on a website will play automatically with sound, and "Limit", where media won’t be autoplayed on sites that a user has previously visited.
The ability to prevent media from auto playing has been present in Google Chrome for some time, with the new update the latest from Microsoft Edge as the company looks to steal users to its browser.
Recent data from Statcounter shows that Edge has now overtaken established rival Firefox in the rankings to run second behind Chrome in the browser wars.
Figures for June suggest Microsoft Edge now holds 3.4% of the browser market, while Firefox has slipped to 3.29%, continuing a downward trajectory that has seen the browser either lose or maintain market share in ten of the last twelve months.
Since the start of the pandemic, Microsoft has delivered a host of upgrades for the browser, including a secure password generator, in-built price comparison tool, vertical tab bar and more.
Under the hood, the company worked hard to improve the speed and responsiveness of the browser too with features such as sleeping tabs and start-up boost, both of which are designed to optimize resource consumption.
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