X is doubling down on vertical video with a redesigned, immersive player that opens full screen with a tap and lets viewers swipe up to the next clip. The update, rolling out on iOS, tightens the app’s resemblance to feed-driven short-form platforms and signals that portrait-first consumption is becoming the default experience on X.
Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, acknowledged that the prior player needed a rethink and positioned the refresh as a mobile-first pivot. The new interface prioritizes single-gesture navigation, fewer controls on screen, and continuous playback that keeps users inside a vertically scrolling stream of recommendations.
Early feedback has zeroed in on aspect ratio handling. Some users say videos are pushed into a cropped, full-screen view with limited control over the original framing. Bier has indicated that portrait is the preferred orientation and that the company intends to stop cropping native vertical uploads, a signal that creators will be nudged toward square or 9:16 formats to fit the new canvas cleanly.
Why X Is Leaning Into Portrait Video Formats
Mobile behavior explains the bet. Research frequently cited by the industry, including MOVR Mobile overviews, shows that about 94% of smartphone use happens in vertical orientation. At the same time, short-form feeds have reshaped viewing expectations: YouTube says Shorts now reaches over 2 billion logged-in users, and Meta has reported sustained gains in time spent with Reels. Disney+ has even experimented with a vertical feed for trailers and clips, underscoring how quickly premium video is adapting to portrait browsing.
Data.ai’s State of Mobile reports have repeatedly highlighted that time spent in video and social apps is still expanding, and swipeable feeds remain one of the few reliable growth engines. By defaulting to an immersive, full-screen player, X aligns itself with the formats driving the longest sessions and the highest likelihood of repeat viewing.
What Changes For Users And Creators On X’s App
For viewers, the experience becomes simpler and stickier: tap to enter, swipe to continue, and linger if the algorithm gets the next clip right. The trade-off is control. If the app favors full-screen portrait above all, users may see less of the original frame on landscape or cinematic uploads unless X adds an easy toggle for letterboxing.
For creators, the incentives are clearer. Vertical assets are likely to rank better in an interface designed around portrait immersion. Expect more repurposing of TikTok, Reels, and Shorts cuts for X, plus a shift in on-screen text, captions, and safe-frame composition to avoid losing critical elements to crop. Brands and newsrooms that have been posting widescreen clips will need a parallel workflow for 9:16 masters if they want to avoid auto-crops and preserve creative intent.
The Competitive Stakes For X In Vertical Video
The timing is strategic. With rivals leaning harder into short-form, X is racing to keep viewers inside its own discovery loop. The company already rolled out a dedicated vertical feed globally and is layering in recommendation tweaks to surface more video, a pattern that mirrors how other platforms bootstrapped watch-time growth before unlocking broader monetization.
Advertising and creator payouts follow attention. Marketers are prioritizing mobile-first placements, and vertical video tends to outperform in feed environments where completion rates and viewability are higher. If X can grow average watch time per user and maintain brand-suitable adjacencies, it strengthens the case for premium sponsorships and performance video units without requiring users to rotate their phones.
AI Tools And Safety Trade-Offs In Video On X
X has hinted at more video features ahead, including AI-driven creation via its Grok tools. Text-to-video generation could lower production barriers for creators who want to publish quickly in vertical formats. But the company’s decision to restrict Grok’s image generation to paying subscribers after reports of misuse highlights the other side of rapid rollout: recommendation-heavy, full-screen feeds amplify both creativity and risk. Robust detection for manipulated or harmful content, clear reporting tools, and responsive enforcement will be essential as the video pipeline scales.
What To Watch Next As X Bets On Vertical Video
Key indicators to track include view-through rates in the new player, the share of uploads in 9:16 versus landscape, and whether X introduces creator-friendly controls such as aspect ratio toggles, chaptering, or template-based editing. Also worth watching are discovery levers—how quickly the swipeable feed adapts to user intent—and the pace of monetization pilots designed specifically for vertical video.
The refresh makes X’s direction unmistakable: portrait-first, swipe-native, and increasingly video-centric. If the company can balance immersion with creative control and safety, the new player could become the backbone of its next phase of growth.
