call play() programatically instead of using autoplay flag

ui/component/viewers/videoViewer/internal/videojs.jsx

@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 // @flow
-import React, { useContext, useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
+import React, { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
 import videojs from 'video.js/dist/alt/video.core.novtt.min.js';
 import 'video.js/dist/alt/video-js-cdn.min.css';
 import eventTracking from 'videojs-event-tracking';
-import { EmbedContext } from 'page/embedWrapper/view';
 import isUserTyping from 'util/detect-typing';
 
 type Props = {
@@ -14,11 +13,11 @@ type Props = {
   onPlayerReady: () => null,
   onVolumeChange: () => null,
   isAudio: boolean,
+  startMuted: boolean,
 };
 
 type VideoJSOptions = {
   controls: boolean,
-  autoplay: boolean,
   preload: string,
   playbackRates: Array<number>,
   responsive: boolean,
@@ -29,7 +28,6 @@ type VideoJSOptions = {
 
 const VIDEO_JS_OPTIONS: VideoJSOptions = {
   controls: true,
-  autoplay: true,
   preload: 'auto',
   playbackRates: [0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2],
   responsive: true,
@@ -58,9 +56,8 @@ if (!Object.keys(videojs.getPlugins()).includes('eventTracking')) {
 properties for this component should be kept to ONLY those that if changed should REQUIRE an entirely new videojs element
  */
 export default React.memo(function VideoJs(props: Props) {
-  const { autoplay, source, sourceType, poster, isAudio, onPlayerReady } = props;
+  const { startMuted, source, sourceType, poster, isAudio, onPlayerReady } = props;
   const containerRef = useRef();
-  const embedded = useContext(EmbedContext);
   const videoJsOptions = {
     ...VIDEO_JS_OPTIONS,
     sources: [
@@ -73,8 +70,7 @@ export default React.memo(function VideoJs(props: Props) {
     plugins: { eventTracking: true },
   };
 
-  videoJsOptions.autoplay = autoplay;
-  videoJsOptions.muted = autoplay && embedded;
+  videoJsOptions.muted = startMuted;
 
   function handleKeyDown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
     const videoNode = containerRef.current && containerRef.current.querySelector('video, audio');

ui/component/viewers/videoViewer/view.jsx

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ type Props = {
   autoplayIfEmbedded: boolean,
   doAnalyticsView: (string, number) => Promise<any>,
   claimRewards: () => void,
+  setPlayingUri: (?string) => void,
 };
 
 /*
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@ function VideoViewer(props: Props) {
     autoplayIfEmbedded,
     doAnalyticsView,
     claimRewards,
+    setPlayingUri,
   } = props;
   const claimId = claim && claim.claim_id;
   const isAudio = contentType.includes('audio');
@@ -110,6 +112,21 @@ function VideoViewer(props: Props) {
   }
 
   const onPlayerReady = useCallback(player => {
+    // https://blog.videojs.com/autoplay-best-practices-with-video-js/#Programmatic-Autoplay-and-Success-Failure-Detection
+    if (autoplaySetting || autoplayIfEmbedded) {
+      const promise = player.play();
+      if (promise !== undefined) {
+        promise
+          .then(function() {
+            // Autoplay started
+          })
+          .catch(function(error) {
+            setIsPlaying(false);
+            setPlayingUri(null);
+          });
+      }
+    }
+
     setIsLoading(!embedded); // if we are here outside of an embed, we're playing
     player.on('tracking:buffered', doTrackingBuffered);
     player.on('tracking:firstplay', doTrackingFirstPlay.bind(player));
@@ -148,8 +165,8 @@ function VideoViewer(props: Props) {
         isAudio={isAudio}
         poster={isAudio || (embedded && !autoplayIfEmbedded) ? thumbnail : null}
         sourceType={forcePlayer ? 'video/mp4' : contentType}
-        autoplay={embedded ? autoplayIfEmbedded : true}
         onPlayerReady={onPlayerReady}
+        startMuted={autoplayIfEmbedded}
       />
     </div>
   );