Autoplaying videos are possibly one of the most hated features of the web. However, this annoying feature may soon make its way to the biggest website on the internet, Google. The search giant is currently testing multiple ways to include autoplaying videos in its search results page.
According to The SEM Post, search queries that are related to movies and TV shows may soon start playing a video upon the page loading. This works even when the user is not asking for a specific video. Previously, the upper right results of such pages would include snippets of relevant information; however, the results acquired by The SEM Post indicate Google"s new vision: autoplaying videos where possible.
Queries like "The Lego Ninjago Movie" and "Justice League release date" are currently showing the trailers of the respective movies in a special content result box. Some users have found these videos start playing as soon as the page stops loading. It"s evident that the search giant is currently A/B testing the feature as many users are not seeing these videos play without a prompt.
It"s worth noting that these videos are currently displayed to desktop users only. By default, the sound is disabled and the user has to enable it from playback control. People who use ad blockers and are from certain regions may not get these autoplaying videos at present.
A Google spokesperson has confirmed the company"s notion to The SEM Post. When asked about this new addition, they replied, "We are constantly experimenting with ways to improve the Search experience for our users, but have no plans to announce at this time."It will be interesting to see how the public reacts to this change. Many tech giants have done similar things in the past and received backlash from their user base
Source: The SEM Post