Reddit, the front page of the internet divided into thousands of category-specific “subreddits,” is making a big move into video. Today, the site launched a dedicated ’Watch’ feed where users can swipe through a continuous stream of videos. It’s a rebranding of the website and a nod to the increasing popularity of videos as a medium for communication, discussion, and content marketing.
Redditors can upload up to 15 minutes of footage directly into the new feed. The site will also compress uploaded videos to save on server storage and improve playback quality. Reddit’s chief product officer, Pali Bhat, says this will help the site better serve the 500 million monthly users who log in each day.
The company’s video player will also be more integrated into the overall user experience. It will remain pinned to the top of the screen while scrolling through the feed, allowing people to keep an eye on cute dog clips or other popular content. The site will also experiment with features like video reactions in the future.
Currently, Reddit’s video player is only available for mobile. In the future, it will be available on desktops as well. Reddit has also added a new search feature that makes it easier to find posts and videos that are trending in the community.
If you’re experiencing problems playing videos on the app or website, there are some things you can try to fix them. First, check to see if the video is on mute. This can happen if the creator intentionally mutes their video or if it’s NSFW and cannot be played with sound. If the videos are muted, click on the loudspeaker icon to unmute them. If that doesn’t work, you may have a hardware issue and need to reach out to tech support for solutions.
