@nspittlemeister_LCFPD - The post @DavidPike shared covers some specific information about one of our classic storytelling templates, but the underlying reason for this behavior is the same: browsers do not allow video with sound to be autoplayed. So the behavior you are seeing is by design, and unfortunately there is no other option right now. The only recommendation I can make at this time is to add a note to the story text to prompt readers to unmute the video.
We have discussed providing authors with an option to not autoplay videos in map tours. This would require readers to click on the video to play. In that case, since the reader chooses to play the video, it can be played unmuted (we recently added this for uploaded videos that appear in the main narrative portion of the story). Would that option be preferable for you, or would you still prefer autoplay even if the video must be muted?
Owen Evans
Lead Product Engineer | StoryMaps