diff --git a/xarray/backends/api.py b/xarray/backends/api.py
index e8c52e9f45b..81e171521f8 100644
--- a/xarray/backends/api.py
+++ b/xarray/backends/api.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 from numbers import Number
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Callable, Dict, Hashable, Iterable, Mapping, Tuple, Union
+from textwrap import dedent
 
 import numpy as np
 
@@ -786,9 +787,18 @@ def open_mfdataset(paths, chunks=None, concat_dim='_not_supplied',
         if combine == '_old_auto':
             # Use the old auto_combine for now
             # Remove this after deprecation cycle from #2616 is complete
+            basic_msg = dedent("""\
+            In xarray version 0.13 the default behaviour of `open_mfdataset`
+            will change. To retain the existing behavior, pass
+            combine='nested'. To use future default behavior, pass
+            combine='by_coords'. See
+            http://xarray.pydata.org/en/stable/combining.html#combining-multi
+            """)
+            warnings.warn(basic_msg, FutureWarning, stacklevel=2)
+
             combined = auto_combine(datasets, concat_dim=concat_dim,
                                     compat=compat, data_vars=data_vars,
-                                    coords=coords)
+                                    coords=coords, from_openmfds=True)
         elif combine == 'nested':
             # Combined nested list by successive concat and merge operations
             # along each dimension, using structure given by "ids"
diff --git a/xarray/core/combine.py b/xarray/core/combine.py
index 96d13da2481..37ae903b6c3 100644
--- a/xarray/core/combine.py
+++ b/xarray/core/combine.py
@@ -523,7 +523,8 @@ def combine_by_coords(datasets, compat='no_conflicts', data_vars='all',
 
 
 def auto_combine(datasets, concat_dim='_not_supplied', compat='no_conflicts',
-                 data_vars='all', coords='different', fill_value=dtypes.NA):
+                 data_vars='all', coords='different', fill_value=dtypes.NA,
+                 from_openmfds=False):
     """
     Attempt to auto-magically combine the given datasets into one.
 
@@ -582,8 +583,11 @@ def auto_combine(datasets, concat_dim='_not_supplied', compat='no_conflicts',
     Dataset.merge
     """
 
-    basic_msg = """In xarray version 0.13 `auto_combine` will be deprecated."""
-    warnings.warn(basic_msg, FutureWarning, stacklevel=2)
+    if not from_openmfds:
+        basic_msg = dedent("""\
+        In xarray version 0.13 `auto_combine` will be deprecated. See
+        http://xarray.pydata.org/en/stable/combining.html#combining-multi""")
+        warnings.warn(basic_msg, FutureWarning, stacklevel=2)
 
     if concat_dim == '_not_supplied':
         concat_dim = _CONCAT_DIM_DEFAULT
@@ -599,10 +603,10 @@ def auto_combine(datasets, concat_dim='_not_supplied', compat='no_conflicts',
         message += dedent("""\
         The datasets supplied have global dimension coordinates. You may want
         to use the new `combine_by_coords` function (or the
-        `combine='by_coords'` option to `open_mfdataset` to order the datasets
+        `combine='by_coords'` option to `open_mfdataset`) to order the datasets
         before concatenation. Alternatively, to continue concatenating based
-        on the order the datasets are supplied in in future, please use the
-        new `combine_nested` function (or the `combine='nested'` option to
+        on the order the datasets are supplied in future, please use the new
+        `combine_nested` function (or the `combine='nested'` option to
         open_mfdataset).""")
     else:
         message += dedent("""\
@@ -615,7 +619,7 @@ def auto_combine(datasets, concat_dim='_not_supplied', compat='no_conflicts',
         manual_dims = [concat_dim].append(None)
         message += dedent("""\
         The datasets supplied require both concatenation and merging. From
-        xarray version 0.14 this will operation will require either using the
+        xarray version 0.13 this will operation will require either using the
         new `combine_nested` function (or the `combine='nested'` option to
         open_mfdataset), with a nested list structure such that you can combine
         along the dimensions {}. Alternatively if your datasets have global
diff --git a/xarray/tests/test_backends.py b/xarray/tests/test_backends.py
index 512bb2238ff..f5c27f2fb92 100644
--- a/xarray/tests/test_backends.py
+++ b/xarray/tests/test_backends.py
@@ -2884,6 +2884,17 @@ class TestOpenMFDataSetDeprecation:
     Set of tests to check that FutureWarnings are correctly raised until the
     deprecation cycle is complete. #2616
     """
+    def test_open_mfdataset_default(self):
+        ds1, ds2 = Dataset({'x': [0]}), Dataset({'x': [1]})
+        with create_tmp_file() as tmp1:
+            with create_tmp_file() as tmp2:
+                ds1.to_netcdf(tmp1)
+                ds2.to_netcdf(tmp2)
+
+                with pytest.warns(FutureWarning, match="default behaviour of"
+                                                       " `open_mfdataset`"):
+                    open_mfdataset([tmp1, tmp2])
+
     def test_open_mfdataset_with_concat_dim(self):
         ds1, ds2 = Dataset({'x': [0]}), Dataset({'x': [1]})
         with create_tmp_file() as tmp1: