THIS IS DEFINITELY A BUG, NOT A FEATURE: Apple and Google Browser Tweaks Could Boost Mobile Video.

Apple Inc. and Google made tweaks to their popular mobile web browsers recently to enable video content to play automatically in web pages, provided audio is muted.

The changes could result in a boost in mobile video consumption for online publishers if they allow their videos to play automatically, and it could unlock new revenue opportunities as a result.

For marketers, the tweaks will enable them to automatically play video content when potential customers visit their websites.

Will Google or Apple be paying for our increased data usage? And then there’s the annoyance of having autoplay videos taking up valuable real estate on tiny mobile screens.

“User hostile” is the correct description of this kind of thing.