X Adds ‘Pinch to Zoom’ for Video

This is a handy update for X (formerly Twitter) users. You can now pinch to zoom in on video clips in the app, so that you can get a better look at specific details in the frame.

As you can see in this example, shared by Jonah Manzano, X is now letting users know that they can zoom in on video clips, via a pop-up notification within the player.

Here’s a look at how it works in action (via X Daily News):

That’ll give you more ways to view video content and engage with clips, while also enabling you to pinpoint that thing that you saw moving in the background which may or may not be an alien that you swear you saw when it played through the first time around.

The plaform continues to add new video features, as part of its broader push to maximize engagement, by leaning into the broader video consumption shift. Video has long been the most engaging content type on all social apps, and now, more platforms are looking to align with this, in order to keep users scrolling, providing more opportunity to show them ads.

Indeed, back in January, X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced that the app was now a “video first” platform, which set the stage for a new wave of exclusive video content in the app. Though that’s largely fallen flat, with most of X’s exclusive content deals either falling through or flaming out, while it hasn’t announced any new content deals in some time.

Though that may change after the election. Now that it’s clear that so many Americans are aligned with more a right-leaning political approach, that could see more creators and publishers looking to share their content on X, in order to connect with this audience. Advertisers, too, may look to reassess their stance on the app (some, apparently, already are), and that could give X a new pathway to driving more video consumption in-stream.

It’s got a dedicated video feed now, while it’s also improved its Connected TV app, and videos can uploaded in high definition.    

I wouldn’t say that it’s a “video first” platform as yet, but as it continues to evolve its video tools, and capitalize on new opportunities, it could become more video-aligned in the coming months.