What is GIF Control
GIF Control is a browser extension that stops animated images from autoplaying and lets you play them when you choose. No more distractions, no more unexpected motion.
Changelog
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v1.1.8 – June 15, 2026
No highlights.
- Added a bounded LRU cache for animation status checks to prevent unbounded memory growth
- Kept image animation detection requests credential-free with credentials: “omit”
v1.1.7 – June 13, 2026
No highlights.
- Fixed an issue where some React/Next.js sites could fail to render correctly while GIF Control was enabled.
v1.1.6 – May 18, 2026
Fixed a critical issue where Google Maps could show a blank map while GIF Control was enabled.
- Fixed a critical issue where Google Maps could show a blank map while GIF Control was enabled
- Reduced aggressive handling of WebP images so regular site images, map tiles, and app UI assets are less likely to be hidden during animation checks
v1.1.5 – May 7, 2026
No highlights.
- Firefox-only update.
- Fixed the Firefox manifest by removing the duplicate optional all-sites host permission
- Restored the Firefox permission behavior used in v1.1.3, where all-sites access is requested as a required install permission
- Kept the v1.1.4 GIF Control fixes unchanged for Firefox
v1.1.4 – May 7, 2026
LinkedIn is now excluded from GIF Control because the content script could prevent logged-in company profile pages from loading.
- Excluded linkedin.com from GIF Control injection to avoid a logged-in LinkedIn loading failure on company profile pages
- Added support for animated GIF/WebP images inside open shadow DOM components
- Added delayed page rescans so animations created late by custom elements are still detected
- Preserved component layout attributes when replacing animated images inside web components
- Added a fallback stopped state when a still frame cannot be drawn because of cross-origin canvas restrictions
- Matched Play/Stop button styling inside shadow DOM with the standard GIF Control button style
- Hardened Play/Stop button color so site CSS cannot make the icon or label unreadable
- Prevented site hover styles from underlining Play/Stop button text
v1.1.3 – April 25, 2026
Animated images are less likely to play for a split second while a page is loading.
- Hardened animated image detection by validating GIF/WebP URLs, removing credentialed background fetches, adding request limits, and bounding the detection cache
- Fixed Play controls when site overlays were blocking interaction with stopped animations
- Reduced brief autoplay flashes on dynamically loaded GIF grids and infinite-scroll pages
- Improved handling of animated WebP sources inside picture elements
- Fixed a duplicate popup link ID for the Changelog link
v1.1.2 — April 21, 2026
No highlights.
- Firefox-only update
- Fixed Play activation on Firefox for Android
v1.1.1 — April 21, 2026
Firefox for Android compatibility.
- Firefox-only update
- Added Firefox for Android compatibility
v1.1.0 — April 17, 2026
No highlights.
- Improved playback controls on linked GIF cards and hover-based image tiles
- Fixed Play so it no longer triggers parent links or modals
- Excluded YouTube hover thumbnail previews from GIF Control detection
- Prevented Play/Stop text from inheriting all-caps styles on some sites and embeds
v1.0.0 — March 29, 2026
Initial release of GIF Control.
- Autoplay prevention for animated GIF and WebP images.
- First-frame preview for stopped animated images.
- Play and Stop controls directly on animated images.
- Browser popup to enable or disable GIF Control.
- Local-only behavior with no analytics, tracking, or remote code.
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Contact
Feel free to reach out.
Privacy Policy
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GIF Control Privacy Policy
Last updated: March 30, 2026
GIF Control does not collect, store, sell, or share personal information.
GIF Control works locally in your browser to detect animated GIF and animated WebP images on the pages you visit, pause them, and let you play them manually. To provide this feature, the extension may access image URLs and page content necessary to identify and control animated images.
GIF Control does not:
- Collect personal data
- Track browsing history for advertising or profiling
- Sell or transfer user data to third parties
- Use analytics, remote code, or third-party advertising
GIF Control stores only the extension’s on/off preference using the browser’s extension storage so your setting persists across sessions.
Some image files may be fetched by the extension only to determine whether they are animated, and this is done solely to provide the extension’s core functionality.
If you contact us through the website or a bug report form, any information you choose to submit will be handled only for support purposes.
Contact
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, you can find contact information at https://neonglow.studio
Extension disclosure summary
GIF Control reads image resources on webpages only to determine whether a GIF or WebP is animated and to let the user pause or play those animations. Data is processed locally for the extension’s single purpose and is not sold or used for advertising.