YouTube adds pinch-to-zoom feature for watching videos on 18:9 smartphones

After dual cameras, displays with the aspect ratio of 18:9 is turning out to be next big trend. Keeping aside the entry-level smartphones, we think it won't be long before smartphones with traditional 16:9 displays would become a thing of the past.

From the newly launched flagship OnePlus 5T to Micromax's budget offering Canvas Infinity Pro, there is no lack of smartphones featuring 18:9 displays. Also, don't forget to count the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Apple iPhone X, which come with displays that have the aspect ratio of 18.5:9. So basically, the taller displays have almost become the new norm.

However, taller displays have also given birth to a new problem. The 16:9 wide-screen ratio of YouTube doesn't fit in a phone featuring 18:9 aspect ratio with black bars on the upper and lower part.
To solve this problem, some manufacturers have included a special feature built into the UI to allow users to change the aspect ratio of the video-sharing app. Doing that will ensure that no black bars would appear.

To make things easier for everyone, YouTube has now added support for crop-zooming YouTube videos so that it fills up all the usable space. There is a downside to this new feature when you will watch the videos in full-screen, some part of it may get cropped. That being said, at least you will get the satisfaction of watching videos on the entire display without having to see the annoying black bars.

This new feature should be rolled out to you if your YouTube is running the 12.43 version.