Autoplay can be a useful tool for your course, saving your learners from having to manually play a video themselves or providing an audio cue or backing to your content. However, it is important to understand the factors that can impact how autoplay works before using it in your course.
While autoplay typically applies to video and audio, animations in your course may also be considered 'autoplaying behavior' and could be subject to similar restrictions.
Even though autoplay can be useful, we don’t recommend relying on it too much. It’s always best to let learners control media on their own. Keep in mind that autoplay might not work for everyone, so it’s better to offer options for manual control.
Browser and OS restrictions
Autoplaying behaviour is widely restricted by many different browsers and devices. Your learner's experience with autoplay and animation is directly affected by which browser and device they are using as well as the individual's specific browsing habits.
Most browsers and devices allow users to enable or disable autoplay manually or adjust privacy settings, which can impact how autoplay works. Additionally, features like low power mode on mobile devices may further affect autoplay functionality.
Because of these restrictions, we can’t promise that autoplay will work the same way for all learners.
Accessibility
Autoplay can also have a significant impact on the accessibility of your course. In some cases, autoplaying media may cause minor irritation or distraction, but in other cases, it can have more serious consequences, such as:
- Confusing or distracting the learner from their learning
- Preventing users from navigating your course in a natural way
- Conflicts with screen readers and the text they read out
- Triggering physical reactions like seizures
Before implementing autoplay, consider whether it truly enhances the learning experience and how it might affect accessibility for all users.