Does your Facebook app look different? Meta is rolling out a TikTok-style video player
The next time you fire up Facebook, you might notice it looks a little more like TikTok.
Meta today launched a new full-screen video player that brings all of the site's video formats, including Reels, live videos, and longer videos, into one area -- hopefully making it easier to share videos no matter the format.
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The player features controls like a slider to skip around in longer videos and a tap option that lets you jump forward or backward 10 seconds -- for example, if you missed a step in a recipe.
There's a horizontal video mode as well. Videos appear vertically by default, but when possible, you can flip to horizontal. Additionally, users can see more relevant videos related to their interests regardless of length or format. These recommendations will appear outside the new player and on the main Facebook feed.
Pointing to the popularity of smartphone-driven TikTok-style content, Meta hinted at the main driver of the change in its release: "While Facebook continues to be the home for all types of video, we'll show even more Reels to meet the growing demand for this format."
Facebook says the updated video player is rolling out on Android and iOS in the US and Canada first, and globally over the next few months.
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These updates, the company said, will give creators more opportunities to tap into additional audiences they might not have been able to reach before. In November 2023, the company introduced new ways for creators to grow their audience, such as experimenting with different versions of a Reel to see which one performs best, using generative AI to make the best possible videos, and offering the ability to create Reels from existing video posts and live streams on mobile.