Meta Platforms has updated its Facebook video player to offer a consistent vertical view for Reels, Facebook Live and long-form content, making vertical the default view. The upgraded player adds controls including fullscreen mode for horizontal videos, a slider to parse through longer videos, and “tap” functionality to bring up additional options, like “pause,” or jumping back or forward in 10-second increments. The new video player will roll out first on iOS and Android in the U.S. and Canada, then globally in the coming months.

The new features change “the look and feel of Facebook’s video player,” reports The Verge, which embeds a GIF demonstrating the new player in action.

“The updated player will orient to vertical videos automatically but will also include a full-screen option on most horizontal videos — you can just flip your phone to watch it in landscape view,” The Verge explains.

Concurrent with the player upgrade, Meta is also promising “more relevant video recommendations” across all lengths for interest-based exploration.

“These improved recommendations will also appear outside the player, on the Facebook Feed and Video tab,” writes TechCrunch, pointing out that “in addition, Facebook said it will show users more Reels going forward, given the demand for short-form video.”

The updates have predictably drawn numerous comparisons to TikTok, with the default vertical orientation, and heightened recommendation reliance.

“The latter change could potentially affect key factors that creators and advertisers care about, like watch time, number of views, reach and more,” TechCrunch notes, adding that “more people watching videos on the platform could allow it to increase time onsite, plus advertising views and clicks.”

It also better positions Facebook to compete against YouTube, which like TikTok also relies on algorithmic recommendations, theoretically broadening its pool of recommended offerings. “These updates mean that more types of creators will have more opportunities to tap into additional audiences they might not have reached before,” Meta explains in a Facebook news post.

“Facebook finally adds video controls like a slide bar,” Engadget writes, remarking that “the platform’s latest innovation is late to the party.”

However, Search Engine Land seems to suggest better late than never, noting “the fullscreen video player, with its improved features, is created to grab people’s attention and increase interaction with your content.”