Instagram backtracks on controversial Stories autoplay

Instagram

Instagram has confirmed it is rolling back a controversial update that meant Stories and Reels had their audio automatically play when opening the iOS app.

The app previously respected the ‘silent’ switch on iPhones and only played sounds on Stories and Reels when you turned up the volume, but recently, the app changed its approach and automatically played Stories and Reels content.

A Meta spokesperson has confirmed the ‘bug’ has been fixed, though many speculate that this was added to mimick TikTok, which automatically plays sound.

Earlier in the week, users took to social networking sites to complain about the update, with some saying that auto-playing sound meant they’re no longer using the app as much as they once did. Users were, quite rightly, frustrated that the app did not respect the iPhone’s default settings and instead automatically play loud content – difficult when scrolling through content in public.

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