Autoplaying videos and Live Photos can be nice to look at in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, and the Mac, but they can also be distracting and can drain your battery. Here’s how to disable everything on all of your Apple devices.
Disable Autoplaying Videos and Live Photos on iPhone and iPad
On iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 (and higher), Apple automatically plays videos and Live Photos when you’re scrolling through your Photos tab. Thankfully, the media is muted. This becomes especially annoying when you’re browsing through the years or months section in the Photos tab or if you’re looking at old Memories albums.
Disabling this feature is as simple as flipping a switch. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone or iPad and go to the “Photos” section.
Now, scroll down until you see the “Photos Tab” section. Here tap the toggle next to the “Auto-Play Videos And Live Photos” option to disable the feature.
Disable Autoplaying Videos and Live Photos on Mac
The Photos app on macOS Catalina (and higher) also has the same built-in autoplay feature. If you’re scrolling through your Photos tab, you’ll find previews of videos and Live Photos, and they’ll play automatically as you pass through them.
Thankfully, there’s a straightforward way to disable this feature on the Mac.
Open the Photos app and click the “Photos” button from the menu bar. Here, choose the “Preferences” option.
In the “General” tab, uncheck the box next to the “Autoplay Videos And Live Photos” option to disable the feature.
