To disable video autoplay in the Photos app on an iPhone 11, open Photos, tap your account in the top-right corner, and turn off Auto-Play Motion and Loop Videos. That is the route in iOS 18 and later. On iOS 13 through iOS 17, the switch is in Settings > Photos and is called Auto-Play Videos and Live Photos.
These steps cover iOS 27, the current version, and also match iOS 26 and iOS 18 on any iPhone. The iOS 13 to iOS 17 steps cover older software. They follow Apple’s iPhone User Guide page Browse your photo collections on iPhone. Apple lists the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max as compatible with iOS 27, so your phone may be on any version from iOS 13 to iOS 27.
What Autoplay Does in the Photos App
Autoplay means videos and Live Photos start moving on their own while you browse, without a tap. A Live Photo is a picture that also records a moment of motion and sound just before and after the shot. By default, videos and Live Photos automatically play when you tap Collections in Photos. The previews play without sound, but the motion can be distracting while you hunt for one picture, and some people find it uncomfortable if motion on screens bothers them.
Turning autoplay off does not delete anything, and it does not change how the Camera records. Your videos and Live Photos stay in your library and still play when you choose to play them.
Check Your iOS Version First
The setting moved and was renamed in iOS 18, so it helps to know which version you have.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General, then tap About.
- Read the number next to iOS Version.
How to Turn Off Autoplay in Photos (iOS 18 and Later)
Use these steps if your iPhone 11 runs iOS 18, iOS 26, or iOS 27.
- Open the Photos app.
- Tap your account in the top-right corner. It is the small circle with your picture or initials. A screen of Photos options opens.
- Turn off Auto-Play Motion. The switch turns gray.
- Turn off Loop Videos. That switch turns gray too.
- Close the options screen and go back to your photos.
Turn off both switches. Auto-Play Motion stops videos and Live Photos from moving while you browse, and Loop Videos stops a video from starting over when it ends. The looping behavior and its switch arrived in later iOS 18 updates, so an iPhone on an early iOS 18 release may show only Auto-Play Motion.
If You Don’t See the Switches in Photos
Look in the Settings app instead. In iOS 18 and later, app settings sit under Settings > Apps, so open Settings, tap Apps, tap Photos, and look for Auto-Play Motion and Loop Videos there.
How to Turn Off Autoplay in Photos (iOS 13 to iOS 17)
Autoplay arrived in the Photos app with iOS 13, the version the iPhone 11 shipped with. If you have not updated past iOS 17, the switch is in the Settings app.
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Photos.
- Scroll down to the Photos Tab section.
- Tap the switch next to Auto-Play Videos and Live Photos to turn it off.
There is no separate loop switch in these versions.
How to Confirm It Worked and How to Undo It
Open Photos and browse a part of your library that has videos and Live Photos. With autoplay off, they should sit still until you choose to play them.
- To play a video: tap it. You can pause it or drag the gray bar to move forward or back.
- To play a Live Photo: open it, then touch and hold the screen.
To bring autoplay back, return to the same screen and turn the switches on again. Nothing else needs to be reset.
Turn Off Autoplay on iPad or Mac
- iPad: The Photos app on iPad uses the same switches as the iPhone for the same software version. On iPadOS 18 and later, look for Auto-Play Motion and Loop Videos; on older versions, use Settings > Photos > Auto-Play Videos and Live Photos.
- Mac: Open Photos, choose Photos > Settings from the menu bar, click General, and deselect Autoplay Videos and Live Photos. The Photos settings guide for Mac lists the same option.
Each device keeps its own setting, so turning autoplay off on your iPhone does not change it on your iPad or Mac.
Troubleshooting
You don’t see Auto-Play Motion
Your iPhone is probably on iOS 17 or earlier. Look in Settings > Photos for Auto-Play Videos and Live Photos instead. To get the newer layout, go to Settings > General > Software Update, or turn on automatic iOS updates so you stay current.
You don’t see Auto-Play Videos and Live Photos
Your iPhone is probably on iOS 18 or later, where the setting was renamed. Open Photos, tap your account in the top-right corner, and look for Auto-Play Motion and Loop Videos.
A video still starts when you tap it
That is expected. Tapping a video is how you play it. The autoplay setting is about motion that starts by itself while you browse, not about a video you open on purpose.
An album plays a movie at the top
In iOS 18 and later, some albums and collections can show a moving preview made from their photos. That preview comes from the album’s own display options, not from the autoplay switches. Open the album and check its sort or viewing options for a preview setting.
Memories and featured photos still appear
Those are controlled by a different switch. Show Featured Content and Show Holiday Events are on the same account screen in Photos. Learn what holiday events in the iPhone Photos app do.
Videos autoplay in other apps
The Photos setting only affects the Photos app. For other apps, Apple offers Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Auto-Play Video Previews, which it says lets apps such as the App Store play video previews automatically. The same screen has Auto-Play Animated Images for GIFs in Messages and Safari. Apple’s Customize onscreen motion on iPhone page has the details, and you can also turn on Reduce Motion on iPhone.
YouTube has its own switches to stop videos from auto playing on iPhone.
Many apps have their own switch, too. Here’s how to turn off autoplay in the Reddit iPhone app and how to turn off video autoplay in the X app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off autoplay delete my videos or Live Photos?
No. The setting only changes whether videos and Live Photos move on their own while you browse the Photos app. Everything stays in your library and plays normally when you tap a video or touch and hold a Live Photo. Slideshow music is a separate control, and you can turn off the music during an iPhone picture slideshow.
Does this stop the Camera from taking Live Photos?
No. The Photos autoplay setting has no effect on the Camera app. To stop taking Live Photos, tap the Live Photo button in Camera. Camera turns Live Photo back on automatically unless you turn on Live Photo under Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings.
Will turning off autoplay save battery?
Apple does not publish a battery figure for this setting, so do not expect a specific gain. If battery life is your main concern, you can also show the battery percentage on your iPhone to keep a closer eye on it.
Why do my videos keep replaying after they finish?
That is the Loop Videos switch in iOS 18 and later. Turn it off on the Photos account screen, and a video plays once and stops.
Do these steps work on other iPhone models?
Yes. The setting belongs to iOS, not to the iPhone 11 itself. Any iPhone on the same iOS version has the same switches in the same place.
Next Step
Open Photos now, tap your account, and turn off both switches. If you later miss the motion, turn them back on from the same screen.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
Read more about Matthew and how Solve Your Tech writes and updates its guides, or report a correction.