
Audio By Carbonatix
It feels like it should have been here ages ago, but YouTube has finally updated its iOS app so that everyone can view vertical videos as they were meant to be seen: in full screen, rather than turned sideways with black bars on the sides.
YouTube announced plans to introduce this feature back in August, and some users have already had it activated. But as of this week, it’s being enabled for everyone.
As easy as it is to hate on vertical video, vertical video just looks good on a phone — it’s the way your phone is meant to be held, and it takes up every inch of screen space. With more and more vertical video being uploaded to YouTube, it only makes sense for the app to get updated to display things properly (especially since this feature has been on Android for two years now).
One weird caveat: you’re likely to stumble across vertical videos that won’t go full screen, like this Selena Gomez music video. It turns out, there are a lot of “vertical” videos on YouTube that are actually encoded with black bars on the sides, meaning they’re technically landscape videos.
Most of the vertical videos I’ve tried to play so far have been this way, which means they end up playing back in landscape. Hopefully, videos will stop being uploaded this way now that YouTube fully supports vertical playback.
But for now, expect there to still be a confusing transition period.
Bye bye, black bars. 👋
— Team YouTube (@TeamYouTube) December 19, 2017
Now the YouTube player on iOS will automatically adapt to the shape of the video you”™re viewing! pic.twitter.com/4jzJ6nPj4G
Latest Stories
-
Prudential Life settles GH¢100,000 medical bills under its PRUCares Valentine Experience Initiative
3 hours -
Wa West Picnic: Peter Lanchene Toobu champions peace, health and unity in landmark celebration
4 hours -
Dr Mensah Market flooded after downpour in Kumasi
4 hours -
Armed men reportedly storm Adjen Kotoku Onion Market amid tensions
5 hours -
Tecco Mensah writes: Why football fans must look beyond statistics
5 hours -
Police recover stolen Honda CR-V in Kumasi within 48 hours
6 hours -
Apetorku Gbodzi 2026 Festival opens in Dagbamete with development focus
6 hours -
President Mahama arrives in Lyon to co-chair One Health Summit
6 hours -
Beverly View Plus Hotel draws crowds amid coastal Easter rush in Volta
6 hours -
Maiden Zongo Festival held in Wa amid calls to tackle drug abuse among the youth
7 hours -
FDA warns of fake HIV test kits on Ghanaian market
7 hours -
Africa urged to build resilient health systems as donor support tightens
7 hours -
Easter gesture: Ablakwa settles medical bills for 85 North Tongu constituents
9 hours -
Africa must harness its population strength—Titus-Glover
9 hours -
Visa-free access doesn’t mean unlimited stay – Lom Ahlijah
9 hours