How-tos
Auto Load — when it burns characters
Auto Load generates audio as soon as the page loads — without the visitor clicking Play. That feels instant, but it can burn characters on every page view, including bots, previews, and people who never listen. Use it with caution.
- Why useful (sometimes) — audio is ready the moment someone hits Play; good for demos or a single high-intent page.
- Why dangerous — each load can trigger generation / usage even when nobody listens.
- Default mindset — leave Auto Load off for site-wide Multi-Page / shortcode players; generate on Play instead.
- Characters — your plan’s character pool is finite; Auto Load multiplies cost by traffic, not by genuine listens.
Open Cloud Console
Multi-Page how-to
All How-tos
When
When Auto Load is (and is not) OK
- Usually leave OFF — Multi-Page across a blog, product catalogs, high-traffic pages.
- Consider ON — a controlled demo page, a low-traffic landing, or a page where you accept the usage tradeoff for zero wait.
- Never “set and forget” on every widget — one Auto Load Multi-Page on a busy site can dominate the monthly character bill.
- RHT / Welcome — different UX; still watch usage. Do not stack Auto Load on many widgets at once.
Characters
How characters get burned
With Auto Load off, audio is typically generated when someone actually starts listening (and then cached). With Auto Load on, opening the page can trigger generation up front — so crawlers, accidental tabs, and “bounce” visits still cost characters.
- Page views × content length ≈ risk, not “unique listeners.”
- Caching helps after first generate — but the first hit per URL / content version still counts, and Auto Load makes that hit more frequent.
- Safer pattern — Auto Load off + Smart Audio Sync / normal Play; visitors who care still get fast cached playback after the first listen.
Setup
How to turn Auto Load on or off
- Open the widget in the Cloud Console.
- Open the Player tab.
- Find Auto Load — leave it disabled for normal sites; enable only if you accept the character cost.
- Save, hard-reload a test page, and watch usage in the dashboard after a few visits.
FAQ
Auto Load FAQ
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No — same voice and quality. It only changes when generation starts (page load vs Play).
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Check Auto Load on Multi-Page and any high-traffic widgets. Turn it off, then review Allowed Urls so heavy pages are intentional.
