Facebook’s Latest Video Player Looks Like TikTok

Date: April 05, 2024

Facebook is pushing the reels trend on its platform after witnessing enormous popularity on Instagram. The first step it took was updating its video player.

Are we moving toward a vertical video economy? Almost every social media platform now provides at least one vertical form, especially for short video formats. Facebook has recently updated its video player to facilitate vertical videos, and it looks pretty much like TikTok’s vertical window. Facebook’s new video player is available for all Android and iOS devices in the US and Canada to stream reels, long videos, and live content. The company will roll out the new video player to other countries in the coming months.

Meta says that users will even see a change in how the preview of the videos looks. On scrolling through the Facebook feed, a user will now see full-screen vertical video frames. On clicking, they will open a vertical window with new playback control functionalities when clicking. Till now, the video player had standard playback controls with a full-screen mode. The videos opened in vertical or horizontal formats based on the video type. 

The horizontal video mode will remain functional in Facebook’s new video player and can be accessed to watch videos in full-screen landscape mode. Even though the platform may have taken inspiration from Instagram Reels, the interface looks more derived from TikTok. It has similar playback controls, including video timeline jumps at the bottom slider and a 10-second forward or backward skipping feature on double tap.

The like, comment, share, and other options buttons are on the right side of the screen. Meta says it is aggressively pushing the reels format on Facebook to help creators reach a higher audience. Instagram has succeeded in its reel format and helped creators build their careers completely on Instagram-native audiences. It is time for Facebook to revive its age-old legacy of being the most popular social media app.

While Facebook and other big tech players are entering the short-form content market, platforms like TikTok and Snapchat are exploring ways to facilitate horizontal and long-form content. The exchange of focus by these companies is a clear indicator that the global audience loves all formats and will be most available on the one providing them all seamlessly.