"Nikita Bier, X's head of product, announced the update earlier this week, admitting the previous video player "badly needed a refresh." The redesign aims to make video consumption more engaging and user-friendly, especially on mobile devices. The update, currently rolling out to iOS, allows users to expand videos to full screen with a single tap. Once in full-screen mode, viewers can swipe up to scroll to the next video, which is reminiscent of TikTok's popular format."
"While the new player aims to enhance mobile video viewing, some users argue that the update forces all videos into a cropped, full-screen view, removing the option to view content in its original aspect ratio. "This UI sucks so bad. Let me just watch full-scale videos," one user said. When another user asked which orientation is preferred, Bier confirmed that portrait is ideal. This approach mirrors broader industry trends, with vertical videos dominating platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels."
X rolled out an immersive video player on iOS that lets users tap to enter full-screen and swipe up to move to the next video, mirroring TikTok's format. The redesign targets mobile engagement and ease of use, while prompting debate because videos are forced into cropped, portrait-oriented displays. X product head Nikita Bier said portrait is ideal, pledged to stop cropping vertical content, and called the prior player in need of a refresh. The update aligns with vertical-video industry trends, follows X's earlier vertical feed launch, and accompanies growing video and AI features including Grok's text-to-vid.
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