Animation: pause() method

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since March 2020.

The pause() method of the Web Animations API's Animation interface suspends playback of the animation.

Syntax

js
pause()

Parameters

None.

Return value

None.

Exceptions

InvalidStateError DOMException

Thrown if the animation's currentTime is unresolved (perhaps it hasn't started playing yet), and the end time of the animation is positive infinity.

Example

Animation.pause() is used many times in the Alice in Web Animations API Land Growing/Shrinking Alice Game, largely because animations created with the Element.animate() method immediately start playing and must be paused manually if you want to avoid that:

js
// animation of the cupcake slowly getting eaten up
const nommingCake = document
  .getElementById("eat-me_sprite")
  .animate(
    [{ transform: "translateY(0)" }, { transform: "translateY(-80%)" }],
    {
      fill: "forwards",
      easing: "steps(4, end)",
      duration: aliceChange.effect.timing.duration / 2,
    },
  );

// doesn't actually need to be eaten until a click event, so pause it initially:
nommingCake.pause();

Additionally, when resetting:

js
// An all-purpose function to pause the animations on Alice, the cupcake, and the bottle that reads "drink me."
const stopPlayingAlice = () => {
  aliceChange.pause();
  nommingCake.pause();
  drinking.pause();
};

// When the user releases the cupcake or the bottle, pause the animations.
cake.addEventListener("mouseup", stopPlayingAlice);
bottle.addEventListener("mouseup", stopPlayingAlice);

Specifications

Specification
Web Animations
# dom-animation-pause

Browser compatibility

desktop mobile
Chrome
Edge
Firefox
Opera
Safari
Chrome Android
Firefox for Android
Opera Android
Safari on iOS
Samsung Internet
WebView Android
WebView on iOS
pause
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 75 (Release date: 2019-06-04)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 79 (Release date: 2020-01-15)
footnote Full support
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 48 (Release date: 2016-08-02)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 62 (Release date: 2019-06-27)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 13.1 (Release date: 2020-03-24)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 75 (Release date: 2019-06-04)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 48 (Release date: 2016-08-02)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 54 (Release date: 2019-10-18)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 13.4 (Release date: 2020-03-24)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 11 (Release date: 2019-12-05)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 75 (Release date: 2019-06-04)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 13.4 (Release date: 2020-03-24)
footnote Full support

Legend

Tip: you can click/tap on a cell for more information.

Full support
Full support

See also