Facebook Lite is a stripped down version of the Facebook app designed to provide a faster, lighter experience for people with slower internet connections or older smartphones. One of the features that gets scaled back in Facebook Lite is autoplay for videos – by default, videos do not automatically start playing as you scroll through your feed like they do in the regular Facebook app. However, there are a few different ways you can enable autoplay for videos in Facebook Lite.
Understanding Facebook Lite’s Default Video Settings
When you first install and open up Facebook Lite, video autoplay is disabled. This means that as you scroll through your feed, videos will not start playing automatically. You’ll see a still preview image from the video, and you’ll need to tap on it to get the video to start playing.
This default setting is to help optimize performance, especially for users who may be on slower mobile data connections where loading and buffering videos can use up a lot of data bandwidth. It also helps save battery life on your device.
While having autoplay off is the default, you can change this setting and enable autoplay for an uninterrupted video viewing experience if you choose.
Enabling Autoplay in Facebook Lite Settings
The easiest way to enable autoplay for videos in Facebook Lite is to change the autoplay setting in the Facebook Lite app settings:
Step 1
Open the Facebook Lite app on your Android or iOS device. From your News Feed, tap on the “Menu” icon (the 3 horizontal lines in the top right corner).
Step 2
In the menu, scroll down and tap on “Settings & Privacy”.
Step 3
Under Settings, tap on “Media and Contacts”.
Step 4
You will see the Autoplay option. Tap on it to enable autoplay for videos. When enabled, the switch will turn blue.
Step 5
Tap back or exit out of the settings to save the change.
Now when you scroll through your Facebook Lite News Feed, videos should start playing automatically as they come into view on your screen.
The toggle switch makes it easy to disable autoplay again at any time if you want to revert back to having videos not play automatically.
Using Data Saver Settings
If you don’t want videos to autoplay when using mobile data, but you do want them to play automatically when connected to Wi-Fi, you can use the Data Saver setting:
Step 1
Go to the Facebook Lite Settings > Media and Contacts.
Step 2
Tap on “Data Saver”.
Step 3
Enable the setting by tapping on the switch so it turns blue.
This will prevent videos from autoplaying when you’re using your mobile carrier’s cellular data connection. Videos will only autoplay when connected to Wi-Fi.
You can toggle Data Saver off to resume autoplay at any time on mobile data.
Connecting to Wi-Fi to Autoplay Videos
If you don’t want to change any settings in the Facebook Lite app, you can also just connect your phone to a Wi-Fi network to enable autoplay.
Facebook Lite allows videos to play automatically when connected via Wi-Fi, even if you haven’t enabled autoplay in the app settings.
So find a Wi-Fi hotspot or connect to your home or work Wi-Fi network, launch Facebook Lite, and you should now see videos begin playing as you scroll.
This is helpful if you only want autoplay enabled some of the time, like when connected to an unlimited Wi-Fi connection versus a metered mobile data plan.
Using a Third-Party Autoplay App
Another option is to use a third-party autoplay app that works with Facebook Lite. There are a few different apps on the Google Play store made specifically for enabling autoplay for Facebook videos.
Some examples include:
- Facebook Autoplay Videos
- Autoplay for Facebook
- Facebook Video AutoPlay
These apps require various permissions and access to your Facebook account. Be sure to check reviews and ratings before downloading.
To use one of these autoplay apps:
Step 1
Download and install the autoplay app from the Google Play Store. Grant it the requested permissions.
Step 2
Open the app and link it to your Facebook account.
Step 3
Toggle autoplay on in the app settings.
Step 4
Use Facebook Lite as normal. Videos should now autoplay automatically.
The advantage of using a separate autoplay app is that you don’t have to change any built-in Facebook Lite settings. The autoplay behavior is controlled entirely through the third-party app instead.
Adjusting Video Streaming Quality
One downside of enabling autoplay is that it will use more data to stream the videos automatically. Video can use a lot more data than just loading images or text on Facebook.
If you enable autoplay, it’s recommended to go into your Facebook Lite settings and adjust the video streaming quality in order to help limit your data usage:
Step 1
From your Facebook Lite News Feed, tap the Menu icon and tap Settings & Privacy.
Step 2
Tap Media and Contacts.
Step 3
Tap on Video Quality.
Step 4
Select a lower video quality, like “Low” or “Data Saver”.
Streaming at a lower quality uses less data compared to High or HD quality streaming. This can help reduce the mobile data required to autoplay videos.
You can test out different video quality settings to find an optimal balance between autoplay functionality and data usage for your device.
Troubleshooting Facebook Lite Autoplay
If you’ve enabled autoplay but are still not seeing videos play automatically, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Force close and restart the Facebook Lite app. This will reload the autoplay settings.
- Check that your device is connected to the internet and able to load content in the app.
- Temporarily disable any data saving, battery saver, or performance optimization modes on your device that could be preventing videos from autoplaying.
- Make sure you don’t have any social media limiting apps enabled that could block videos.
- Reinstall the Facebook Lite app completely to reset all settings.
Following these basic troubleshooting steps should get autoplay working again in most cases if it has stopped loading videos automatically for some reason.
Adjusting Additional Video Settings
In addition to autoplay and video quality, there are a few other video settings you can adjust in Facebook Lite:
Data Saving for Videos
Enable this to limit video streaming when on mobile data. Videos will be paused when not on Wi-Fi if data saving is on.
HD Video
Let’s you enable or disable loading videos in HD quality when possible. Turning this off can save data usage.
Downlaoding Videos
Allows you to enable video downloads when connected to Wi-Fi. Videos save to your device storage.
Adjust these additional settings as needed to modify video behavior and data usage in Facebook Lite for your preferences and connection.
Conclusion
That covers the main ways to get video autoplay enabled in Facebook Lite, from changing the built-in settings, connecting to Wi-Fi, using third-party apps, adjusting video quality and other options. With autoplay turned on, you can scroll through your News Feed and enjoy Facebook videos without the extra tapping. Keep in mind streaming video uses more data, so customize quality and data saving settings accordingly. Check that autoplay is working properly after making any changes. Use the troubleshooting tips if videos still won’t play automatically. With the right settings tuned for your device and usage, you can have a seamless social video experience even with the lite version of Facebook.