Following in Facebook’s footsteps, Twitter introduced autoplay videos on Wednesday — a big day for social media advertisers, but not so much for all those ad-unfriendly users out there.
Twitter’s autoplay feature has begun rolling out on iOS and web with Android to follow, which means that video ads, GIFs or Vines on your timeline will automatically load and play (while muted), according to post on Twitter’s blog. Like Facebook’s autoplay videos, which were introduced in December 2013, Twitter’s feature will likely be a big boost to the company’s bottom line — but also a big drain to some users’ data plans and battery life.
Luckily, both Facebook and Twitter have made it easy for mobile users to disable or limit auto-play. Here’s how:
-
For Twitter (iOS only), first open the Twitter app, and tap on the Settings icon, which is the gray gear-shaped icon near the top-right corner of your profile. Then tap on Video autoplay and either select Use Wi-Fi only or Never play videos automatically.
For Facebook (iOS), there’s no need to open your Facebook app. Just tap Settings on your iPhone or iPad’s home screen, and scroll down and select Facebook. Then tap on Settings, and then Auto-play, and select either Wi-fi only or Off.
For Facebook (Android), open up the Facebook app, and go to App Settings. Then check the box next to Auto-play videos on WiFi only.
For web, it’s even simpler: just go to Facebook’s Video Settings and Twitter’s Settings to turn-off autoplay videos.
Read next: Surfing the Web On Your iPhone Is About to Get Way Better
More Must-Reads From TIME
- What a Photographer Saw in the West Bank
- The Dirty Secrets of Alternative Plastics
- Accenture’s Chief AI Officer on Why This Is a Defining Moment
- We Should Get Paid for Our Online Data: Column
- Inside COP28's Big 'Experiment'
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023
- The Top 100 Photos of 2023
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
