What is vertical video?

With the rise in popularity of video content on mobile devices via platforms, such as Tiktok, Youtube (shorts) and Instagram has come an increase in mobile-first videos, videos made for mobile screen dimensions that are portrait rather than landscape. 

Traditionally video content in news apps and Bolt apps has been in a landscape format, but as demand grows we've been looking at ways to support portrait formats in our apps.

To start with we have added the ability to set the orientation of any video card in your app. This will change the aspect ratio of the video in the timeline to appear portrait, rather than show as portrait pillarboxed into a landscape window. The default will remain landscape.

Who can use it?

Anyone can use the new orientation setting. There's no restriction on video providers, if the provider you use supports vertical videos then you can display them as such in your app.

What is needed to get it live?

To be able to change the orientation of a video you need to be on the latest version of Pugpig Express and Bolt Timeline, both of which automatically update server side, so no app update is necessary. Then all you'd need to do is change one field on any video card you want to display with the portrait orientation.