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.
The current steps below 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. Apple says that, by default, videos and Live Photos automatically play when you tap Collections in Photos.
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. Result: a screen of Photos options opens.
- Turn off Auto-Play Motion. Result: the switch turns gray.
- Turn off Loop Videos. Result: that switch turns gray too.
- Close the options screen and go back to your photos.
Apple names both switches in its instruction for turning autoplay off, so turn off both. Apple does not describe each one separately. Going by the names, Auto-Play Motion covers motion that starts on its own, and Loop Videos covers a video starting over when it reaches the end.
Some guides also describe the same two switches under Settings > Apps > Photos. Apple’s guide points to the account screen inside Photos, so start 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 lives in the Settings app. Apple’s current guide no longer covers these versions, so the names below come from the older iOS screens shown in the pictures.
- 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.
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. Apple notes 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.
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.
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. Apple’s guide says to tap a video to play it. The autoplay setting is about motion that starts by itself while you browse, not about a video you open on purpose.
Memories and featured photos still appear
Those are controlled by a different switch. On the same account screen in Photos, Apple lists Show Featured Content and Show Holiday Events. Our guide on how to show holiday events in the iPhone Photos app explains what they 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. See Apple’s Customize onscreen motion on iPhone page, or our guide on how to turn on Reduce Motion on iPhone.
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; see how to 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. Apple notes that Camera turns Live Photo back on automatically unless you turn on Live Photo under Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings.
Does autoplay in Photos play sound?
Apple’s guide does not say. If sound matters to you, lower the volume with the buttons on the side of your iPhone 11 before browsing.
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.
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 has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.