The Data Drain
When you open the App Store on your iPhone to browse for a new game, you will notice that the promotional videos at the top of the screen begin playing instantly, without you ever tapping the play button. While this makes the storefront feel dynamic and alive, video files are massive. If you are browsing the App Store while riding a bus with a poor cellular connection, these auto-playing videos will ruthlessly chew through your monthly data cap and severely drain your battery. If you prefer to manually choose when to watch a game trailer, you must disable this automated behavior.
How to Turn Off Auto-Play Videos
You can revoke the App Store’s permission to automatically load media via the system settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down the main list (past General and Privacy) until you find the section for Apple’s built-in apps.
- Tap on App Store.
- Look for the section labeled “Video Autoplay.”
- Tap on Video Autoplay.
- You will see three options: On, Wi-Fi Only, and Off.
- Tap Off to completely disable the feature under all circumstances.
A Static Storefront
The change takes effect immediately. The next time you open the App Store, it will look like a traditional, static catalog. The promotional videos will simply display a high-resolution thumbnail image with a prominent “Play” button in the center. The video will consume absolutely zero data and zero battery power until you explicitly tap the screen to watch it.