YouTube is currently testing a new feature that will let videos auto-play when you open the app. This feature works with videos on the homepage and is being tested on YouTube for Android app.
With this new feature that the company is testing, videos start playing without sound when you open the YouTube app. Since there is no sound, you will see subtitles that will give you an idea of what the video is about.
The video will stop playing as soon as you scroll up or down. This is something we have seen on other apps. When you scroll up or down, the video that will be on the screen will be the one autoplaying without sound with the subtitles on. This will help you figure out what the video is all about but also eats up your data. With that said, you can turn it off by heading to Account -> Settings -> General.
You will also be able to set it to be enabled only when you are connected to Wi-Fi. This is perfect for the data conscious users out there and is an option I will turn on. I normally play YouTube videos on my phone when on Wi-Fi and I don’t see myself changing that anytime soon.
At the moment, this feature has been spotted on YouTube for Android app only, we assume this is just for testing purposes and it will make its way to iOS with time.
Also Read: Google Music And YouTube Red To Be Merged Into One Service