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Twitter Sets Autoplay Video Test In Motion

In a limited experiment, some users of Twitter's iOS apps will see video play without pushing the play button.

Martin Beck on March 23, 2015 at 5:43 pm

Twitter is dipping a toe into the autoplay wave.

The company today started a limited test of autoplay video for some U.S. users of its iOS apps. That means some iPhone and iPad users will see videos play in their Twitter feeds without pushing the play button.

Reported first by AdAge, the experiment aims to test the reaction of users to autoplay video by dividing subjects into two groups, one that will see entire videos play in a loop and the other that will see looping six-second previews of videos. In each case, videos will start playing without audio. When someone clicks on a video, it will expand to full screen and play with sound.

The test will only apply to promoted video ads, native video uploaded via Twitter’s mobile app and clips that are part of the Amplify program; Vine videos will not be part of the test, according to AdAge, cited an unnamed source.

A Twitter spokesperson confirmed to Marketing Land that the company is “running a small test on a few variations on the video playback experience.”

The move is a natural step for Twitter and is in keeping with the trend of platforms serving autoplay video.

Facebook has had the feature since September 2013, which is often cited as a major reason the social network serves 3 billion video views a day. Both Instagram and Twitter’s Vine play videos automatically on their apps. And autoplay is now the default setting for industry-leader YouTube as well.

Twitter has been making a strong video push recently, trying to get more of the lucrative and engaging content on its network. In January, it launched native video uploading from its mobile apps. It has also acquired two video focused startups this year, Niche, which links video “creators” with brands, and Periscope, the creator of a yet-to-be launched live streaming app.