Facebook revealed it was testing auto-playing videos back in September, and the social network says it’s now rolling them out on iOS and Android.
As you scroll through the News Feed, videos will automatically start playing, and remain silent until you tap on a video.
It’s a controversial move that works similar to video on Instagram and Vine, but Facebook hopes it will get more users to interact with video.
However, auto-playing videos on mobile will not work with third party content from sites such as YouTube.
To help limit mobile data usage, Facebook has added an option to auto-play videos on WiFi only.
Facebook says that auto-playing videos have started rolling out to iOS and Android app users internationally, and it’s currently testing auto-playing videos on the web.
While the goal is to get more interaction, this is also the beginning of video ads on the social network.
In September, AdAge reported that Facebook had been pitching videos ads to businesses “for over a year,” and it would sell 15-second spots costing anywhere from $1 million to $2.4 million.
For now, brands can make use of Instagram, a now Facebook company, and their videos will also auto-play on user’s iOS and Android devices.
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