As it continues to put more focus on video content, in order to tap into broader engagement trends, X is experimenting with an updated video playback UI, which would move the engagement counts up from the bottom of the screen, and the function buttons into the lower black bar along the bottom.

As you can see in this example, shared by @Iorel_03 on X, the updated X video player would put more focus on the content, with transparent engagement buttons on the lower playback window, above the playback speed, volume controls, etc.

Which is not a heap different from the current format.

As you can see in this comparison, the current video playback UI (on the right) has the performance metrics along the bottom, as opposed to the control buttons. This update would effectively switch them over, which could de-clutter the full screen view (due to the transparent metric counts/buttons), while also encouraging more engagement, by giving these elements more focus.

The metrics would also fade out as you watch, giving you clear full-screen playback.

Again, it wouldn’t be a huge change, but it could be a valuable one, bringing X’s video playback more into line with TikTok and IG Reels, which also display the engagement buttons more prominently on-screen.

That may help to better align users with their habitual engagement behaviors, while also improving X’s video display, though a larger problem for X remains that most X videos are posted in square format, so they don’t take up the whole screen anyway.

But X is determined to become a “video-first” platform, through original programming and a bigger focus on video content. Because again, video drives more engagement, and X has seen more video being posted to the app of late.