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How Smart AutoPlay Works

In this article we explain one of our flagship features: Smart AutoPlay

Erika Lehmann avatar
Written by Erika Lehmann
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Smart AutoPlay is one of our main features and the main reason is that this feature will boost your conversions out to the moon. 🚀

How it works:

They way it works is quite simple. As you may already have noticed browsers such as Chrome and Safari will not allow videos to autoplay unmuted. This is the reason why we came up with the perfect solution to this.

Smart AutoPlay allows the video to autoplay without breaking any rules set by the browser. It is as simple as playing the video muted and having a sign/button letting the viewer know the video is playing muted for them to click to unmute and restart the video.

The combination of these steps results in much more people really seeing the video and this translates in more conversions!

Let's go over it once again, these are 3 elements that make up this winning formula:

1. IF the browser blocks the video playing with sound, then we will opt for it to autoplay on mute.

2. Then, it can have a flashing overlay on top of it that says anything you want (default is Your Video is Playing, Click to Unmute).

3. Finally, you can have the video restart when the viewer unmutes it.

How to Set Up:

1. Access your Video Settings: Access your video library and select the video in question, click Edit and this will take you to your Video Settings.

2. Access Playback Settings: Locate the Playback tab and click to access these settings.

3. Enable Smart AutoPlay: The first option in Playback settings is Smart AutoPlay. Toggle this option on to enable on your video.

4. Set Smart AutoPlay Settings: Once you have enabled Smart AutoPlay on your video you can now select the options available.

  • AutoPlay Message

  • Top Text

  • Button Text

  • Style and color

  • Font

Advanced Smart AutoPlay Settings

The following settings allow you to fine-tune the behavior of your video based on your goals, device, and viewer interaction:

Setting

Description

Unmute & Restart

When a viewer clicks to unmute, the video restarts from the beginning with sound. Prevents missing critical content.

Disable Pausing

Disables the ability for viewers to pause the video. Great for VSLs or live-like experiences where flow matters.

Mobile Autoplay

Enables autoplay on mobile (when supported by the device/browser).

Desktop Fullscreen on Unmute

Automatically enters fullscreen mode on desktop once the viewer unmutes. Enhances immersion.

Mobile Fullscreen on Unmute

Same as above, but for mobile devices. Offers a distraction-free viewing experience.

Different Mobile Message

Allows you to customize the autoplay overlay message for mobile viewers. Improves clarity and relevance.

Loop Restart

When enabled, your video will restart from a specific time set automatically once it ends, rather than simply looping from the end. Useful for maximizing repeat views of the full message.

Always Muted

Forces the video to always autoplay muted, regardless of browser behavior. Ensures consistency across all viewing scenarios.


Loop Autoplay

When enabled, Loop Smart Autoplay will restart the video automatically after a specified duration. It works seamlessly within Smart Autoplay and is designed to maintain visual engagement without interfering with your CTAs, analytics, or user experience.

This is perfect for:

  • Looping just the opening seconds to tease a longer video

  • Keeping video motion active on the page without requiring interaction

  • Creating a live-preview effect with minimal effort

How to Use Loop Smart Autoplay

  1. Open your video in the Vidalytics dashboard.

  2. Go to Vid SettingsPlaybackSmart Autoplay.

  3. Open the Advanced Settings panel.

  4. Toggle Loop Autoplay to ON.

  5. Under Loop Duration, choose:

    • A specific time (e.g., 0:10) to loop before the video ends.

    • Or select end of video for a full-length loop.

  6. Save & publish your video.

Your video will now automatically loop as configured—cleanly and seamlessly.

Benefits of Loop Smart Autoplay

  • Endless Motion: Keep your video visually active to increase engagement and reduce bounce rates.

  • Teaser Functionality: Loop only the opening section of your video to build curiosity and prompt viewer interaction.

  • User-Friendly: No need to add code or edit video files—just enable the feature inside your video settings.

  • Analytics Safe: Smart event suppression prevents false data spikes from repeated loops.

Ideal Use Cases

  • Ecommerce Previews – Loop product highlights to grab attention before visitors scroll.

  • Teaser Videos – Play a short, high-impact opening repeatedly to drive curiosity.

  • Sales Pages – Keep motion on-screen even when the viewer hasn’t clicked play.

Always Play Muted

In some cases, your video may autoplay with sound, depending on the viewer’s browser behavior and several other factors—such as whether the user has previously interacted with your site or domain. While browsers typically block autoplay with sound by default, exceptions can occur.

To ensure that your video always autoplays muted, you can enable the "Always Muted" setting inside the Smart Auto Play advanced settings.

How to Enable "Always Muted"

  1. Go to your Smart Auto Play settings for the desired video.

  2. Click on Advanced Settings.

  3. Locate the option labeled "Always Muted".

  4. Toggle the setting ON to guarantee that your video starts muted every time—regardless of browser behavior or user history.

This is especially useful for maintaining consistent playback behavior across different devices and browsers.

Why Use This Setting?

  • Consistent Viewer Experience: Prevent unexpected audio playback.

  • Better Compliance: Align with browser autoplay policies.

  • Improved Engagement: Avoid startling viewers with unexpected sound.

Other Use Cases for Smart Auto Play Feature

This is the formula we used to boost another user's conversion rate by 49%.

Try this feature out and let us know what you think! 

Here are some more details about the Chrome side of things: 

  • In most cases, autoplay with sound is prohibited,

  • Autoplay with sound on desktops can work if the user's Media Engagement Index score for the domain is above the threshold. Each user browser has its own MEI database. To simplify: if a viewer previously interacted with your domain before landing on your video page, the video should autoplay with sound most of the time.

If you want the video to always autoplay with the muted overlay, you can enable this setting in the "Smart Autoplay" tab when editing your video:

Note: If you need more details, you can check this article: https://developers.google.com/web/updates/2017/09/autoplay-policy-changes


For additional questions, feedback or assistance please feel free to reach out directly to Customer Happiness Team at [email protected]. 😊

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