Facebook Copies TikTok Again With New its Full-Screen Vertical Video Format

On Wednesday, Facebook announced the latest TikTok-ification of its site by launching a new full-screen video player on its app, based on the vertical video format TikTok has made famous. All of the Reels, long videos, and live content you watch on Facebook will be shown to you through a full-screen, vertically-oriented video.

The social media giant also claims to have “better recommendations for videos of all lengths we think you might enjoy based on your interests.”

“For example, we might recommend a Reel that inspires you for a quick, daily makeup routine or a longer tutorial video on DIY home improvements from experienced homeowners,” Facebook wrote in a blog post about the change. The latest addition to the player features a scrubber located at the bottom, which allows users to rewind, fast forward, pause, and adjust the playback speed of the video. This functionality is also available on TikTok.

This change will start being implemented in the next few weeks. Videos that are designed for horizontal viewing will allow users to switch to landscape mode and rotate their device for full-screen viewing, while still displaying vertically by default.

Due to the format change, creators will likely want to start posting Reels if they want their videos to be seen on Facebook. It will certainly be interesting to see how this affects video formats that are typically horizontal by design on the app, like movie trailers and music videos.

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