Facebook Rolls Out Update For In-App Video Player, Makes It Akin To TikTok

Meta has made significant strides in refining its video recommendations across all lengths, ensuring that users are presented with content aligned with their preferences.

In parallel, TikTok appears to be conducting trials with horizontal and long-form content as part of its competitive initiatives within the sector.

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Meta-owned Facebook is now rolling out an updated video player for mobile users which resembles greatly to that of TikTok. The videos will now open in a vertical window like TikTok rather than Facebook's traditional horizontal window. The company has said that it plans to bring together “Reels, long videos and Live content all in one fullscreen, engaging experience.” If you are scrolling through your feed in the Facebook app, Meta says you will see a fullscreen vertical video. Notably, you can always watch videos in landscape mode by flipping your phone into a horizontal position.

It appears that Facebook has taken the concept from Instagram where the new video player has the same look and feel.

New Controls For Playing Videos

The newly redesigned video player includes a range of enhanced playback controls, offering users the convenience of navigating to specific segments of a video via the bottom slider and easily skipping forward or backwards by ten seconds.

Furthermore, Meta has made significant strides in refining its video recommendations across all lengths, ensuring that users are presented with content aligned with their preferences. Additionally, Facebook is intensifying its efforts to promote Reels content, aiding creators in bridging the gap with their target audience.

These refined recommendations will extend beyond the video player, being prominently featured in users' feeds and video tabs. Initially, the updated video player will roll out to users residing in the United States and Canada, with a subsequent global rollout scheduled for the upcoming months.

In parallel, while Facebook adopts a TikTok-inspired strategy by prioritising vertical content promotion, the banned video platform appears to be conducting trials with horizontal and long-form content as part of its competitive initiatives within the sector.