X

YouTube videos on your iPhone will no longer have black bars

The video website improved vertical video playback for iOS devices in its latest update.

Patrick Holland Managing Editor
Patrick Holland has been a phone reviewer for CNET since 2016. He is a former theater director who occasionally makes short films. Patrick has an eye for photography and a passion for everything mobile. He is a colorful raconteur who will guide you through the ever-changing, fast-paced world of phones, especially the iPhone and iOS. He used to co-host CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast and interviewed guests like Jeff Goldblum, Alfre Woodard, Stephen Merchant, Sam Jay, Edgar Wright and Roy Wood Jr.
Expertise Apple, iPhone, iOS, Android, Samsung, Sony, Google, Motorola, interviews, coffee equipment, cats Credentials
  • Patrick's play The Cowboy is included in the Best American Short Plays 2011-12 anthology. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Baden Krunk that won the Best Wisconsin Short Film award at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
See full bio
Patrick Holland

Your iPhone finally can play YouTube vertical videos without black bars.

 YouTube

Platforms like Snapchat and Instagram have made recording and watching vertical videos commonplace. But if you've ever played a vertical video on YouTube, two giant black bars filled most of your screen. YouTube's latest update for the iPhone changes that.

On Tuesday, in a Twitter post, the venerable site for internet videos announced that the YouTube player for iOS will now automatically adapt to the shape of the video you're watching.

If the video is vertical, the player will become vertical. If the video is square, the player will become square, which means goodbye, black bars.

Mobile Guides

Phones
Foldable Phones
Headphones
Mobile Accessories
Smartwatches
Wireless Plans
Mobile coupons