Amazon Echo Show devices have a feature where news videos will automatically start playing after you finish watching a news video. This can be annoying if you just want to watch one video without having a stream of news start playing after. Thankfully, there are a few ways to disable this autoplay feature.
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Why Videos Autoplay on Echo Show
The autoplay feature is designed to keep you informed by continuing to play news content after you finish watching a video. However, some users find it disruptive or annoying, especially if they only wanted to watch one specific video.
By default, this feature is enabled on Echo Show devices. After you ask Alexa to play a news video from the home screen feed, once that video ends, a live news broadcast will begin playing automatically from the same source.
So if you watched a video from Newsy, it would start playing the Newsy live stream after your video finishes.
Turn Off Autoplay in Device Settings
The easiest way to disable autoplaying news videos is through your Echo Show’s settings:
- Step 1: Swipe down from the top of your Echo Show screen and tap Settings.
- Step 2: Select Home & Clock > Home Content.
- Step 3: Scroll down and turn the toggle switch next to News to the Off position.
This will prevent news videos and live streams from automatically playing after you view a video.
You can always go back and enable this later if you want the autoplay functionality turned back on.
Use Do Not Disturb to Temporarily Disable Autoplay
Another option is to use your Echo Show’s Do Not Disturb mode to temporarily turn off autoplay:
- Open the Alexa app and select your Echo Show device.
- Go to Communicate > Do Not Disturb.
- Turn on Scheduled or Do Not Disturb to disable notifications and autoplay during set times or until you manually turn the mode off.
This lets you easily pause autoplay as needed without fully disabling the feature.
Change Autoplay Settings in the Alexa App
You can also manage your Echo Show’s autoplay settings directly from the Alexa app:
- Open the Alexa app and tap More > Settings.
- Select your Echo Show then choose Device Settings.
- Go to Home & Clock > Home Content.
- Turn off the toggle switch next to Autoplay Similar Content to disable automatic playback of related videos.
Through these device settings, you have granular control to tweak exactly which autoplay features you want enabled or disabled.
Use Voice Commands to Stop Videos
If a news video starts autoplaying when you don’t want it to, use voice commands to stop playback:
- Say “Alexa, stop” or “Alexa, shut up” to halt the video that is currently playing.
- Follow up with “Alexa, go home” to return to the main home screen.
While this doesn’t permanently disable autoplay, it allows you to quickly stop unwanted videos.
Consider Disabling News Altogether
If you find the autoplaying news videos consistently bothersome and rarely watch news on your Echo Show, you can disable news content entirely:
- Swipe down from the top and select Settings > Home & Clock > Home Content.
- Turn off the toggle switch next to News to remove news content from your home screen.
With news disabled, you won’t encounter any autoplaying news videos. You can always re-enable news whenever you want to start watching videos again.
Factory Reset Echo Show
If all else fails, you can factory reset your Echo Show device to erase any problematic settings that might be causing issues with autoplaying content:
- Press and hold the Microphone off and Volume down buttons simultaneously until your screen goes blank.
- When the Amazon logo appears, release the buttons. This will reset your Echo Show device to its default factory settings.
Once your device reboots, autoplay should be turned off by default. You can re-enable the feature in your settings if you choose.
AutoPlay Keeps Viewers Engaged
While autoplaying news videos might be annoying sometimes, Amazon likely enables it by default since autoplay tends to lead to longer viewing sessions. By continuously playing new videos, viewers often end up passively watching for longer periods.
Still, user control and customization are important. Thankfully with the options covered above, you can easily disable or limit autoplaying content to suit your preferences.
Just remember you can always re-enable the feature later on if you change your mind. Amazon makes it straightforward to toggle autoplay on or off at any time.
So take control of your Echo Show news experience and turn off autoplay if those automatically playing videos ever get bothersome. Your device is ready anytime you want to start watching news reports again.