A script to detect browser support for the autoplay attribute on the HTML5 Audio element.

detect-autoplay.js

// Detect autoplay
// ---------------

// This script detects whether the current browser supports the
// autoplay feature for HTML5 Audio elements, and it sets the
// `AUTOPLAY` variable accordingly.

// Used in the Meteor app [PicDinner](http://picdinner.com)

var AUTOPLAY = false;

(function() {

    // Audio file data URIs from comments in
    // [this gist](https://gist.github.com/westonruter/253174)
    // via [mudcube](https://github.com/mudcube)
    var mp3 = 'data:audio/mpeg;base64,/+MYxAAAAANIAUAAAASEEB/jwOFM/0MM/90b/+RhST//w4NFwOjf///PZu////9lns5GFDv//l9GlUIEEIAAAgIg8Ir/JGq3/+MYxDsLIj5QMYcoAP0dv9HIjUcH//yYSg+CIbkGP//8w0bLVjUP///3Z0x5QCAv/yLjwtGKTEFNRTMuOTeqqqqqqqqqqqqq/+MYxEkNmdJkUYc4AKqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq';

    var ogg = 'data:audio/ogg;base64,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';

    try {
        var audio = new Audio();
        var src = audio.canPlayType('audio/ogg') ? ogg : mp3;
        audio.autoplay = true;
        audio.volume = 0;

        // this will only be triggered if autoplay works
        $(audio).on('play', function() {
            AUTOPLAY = true;
        });

        audio.src = src;
    } catch(e) {
        console.log('[AUTOPLAY-ERROR]', e);
    }
})();

Exactly what I was looking for, we're testing this now and if I have any valuable feedback I'll try and remember to comment on it. Otherwise no news is good news! Either way thanks so much.

I'm incredibly glad to have found this, as I have a strange request from a client that has me needing to know whether or not audio will autoplay in the current browser. Thanks for sharing!

holy cow, thanks for this! 👍

I'm having an issue with this code on safari 8 and above. I seems to sense that it cannot autoplay. Any help?

This seems to be broken in Chrome 47, the browser has a problem loading the data URIs after the page has been cached. This means that the audio will only autoplay on the first page load.

Related bug report: https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=543808.

I tried to use it as a timeline script in Adobe Animate's Canvas mode to skip down a few frames to avoid having to tap the button to activate sounds to play, but Chrome and Safari ignored me completely:
// this will only be triggered if autoplay works
$(audio).on('play', function() {
AUTOPLAY = true;
this.gotoAndPlay(5);
this.tapbutton.visible = false;
});

@mikelly321: Beware that the this within the function will not be the same as the this outside of the function.

var self = this;
$(audio).on('play', function() {
    AUTOPLAY = true;
    self.gotoAndPlay(5);
    self.tapbutton.visible = false;
});