That makes Instagram more akin to television or Snapchat where sound always plays, and could boost spend on its video ads. Instagram’s move could be a boon to businesses and advertisers, who will see more of their videos play with sound now.

That roll out has moved slowly, though, signaling that Facebook understands that sound could surprise some users. But that makes sense since you can assume you’ll see video in these Snapchat clone-style slideshows.įacebook experienced backlash earlier this year when it announced it would be moving from silent autoplay video to going by you’re device’s current mute status. Instagram Stories videos will still adhere to your device’s settings, only playing with sound if it’s unmuted. Instagram admits that previously having to turn on video audio for each video individually could be frustrating. But next time you open the app, if you’re in public or somewhere quiet without headphones, it won’t embarrass you.

If you’re home alone or have headphones on, and you turn on a video’s sound, it’s safe for Instagram to assume it can play more videos with audio without disturbing anyone. So basically, Instagram still defaults to audio off when opened, but applies your last toggle on or off for the rest of your session.

Sound still playing after window closed