Level 2

311 points

Video Playback on iOS 18 is Broken - Video size is small and timeline ends early when setting video to full frame or zooming in. Serious bug.

Video Playback on iOS 18. I use video playback to show slow-motion video frame by frame to my students and the video can only be shown at like 3/5 of the screen size (just like Apple fouled up screenshot editing about a year ago)

If you try to view video in the full screen you can’t scrub through and see time stamps or play frame by frame sliding left to right. It’s absolutely ridiculous. 2 out of 3x the video timeline finishes fully right and I haven’t watched the full clip.

Here’s a video showing the issue how at the small default size I can see the entire timeline and play the full video from beginning to end, but when I go to full screen and/or zoom in or move the screen around the timeline doesn’t work and you can’t scroll through the full video!

Need the video to not condense in size on the screen and play the full height / width of the screen. Also not have the text of the location showing above the screen. Way too much clutter. The reduced size of the video for editing issue started with photos several updates ago

[Edited by Moderator]

iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 18

Posted on Sep 18, 2024 9:17 PM

Top-ranking reply

brentgrab Author

Level 2

311 points

Posted on Sep 22, 2024 3:52 PM

Here’s a YT video I made demonstrating the exact issue. Only posted a day ago and it has over 1,000 views and tons of comments. I’m happy other people are speaking out about how bad this iOS 18 update ruined Apple Photos and video playback and video usability. Apple please for the love of God fix this urgently. Whoever spearheaded the rollout should seriously be fired. Whoever approved it should also be fired!

Video of Issue

Please fix Apple Photos and iPhone videos urgently! They also should fix the editing / annotation of images. Taking a screenshot makes it tiny on the screen so if you you try to draw or type on it it’s the same nonsense of a tiny screen area. Editing any photo to draw or type on it shrinks the image on the screen. It should not be this way. Keep both images / photos and videos full screen. This is not an issue in any other app. It’s so bad it makes me wonder what the heck Apple is doing and how these people who are supposedly very bright tech wizards are employed there.

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133 replies

lbatt4

Level 1

16 points

Oct 21, 2024 8:35 PM in response to brentgrab

This new Photos app is ridiculous and the lack of full screen video and ability to scroll frame by frame to do screenshots is the worst. Please fix it.

Oct 24, 2024 11:58 PM in response to brentgrab

Please bring back the previous photos and video playback! Why do I have to tap a 2nd time on every pic and video to make it full screen?? Seriously? This is ridiculous! 😡

Nov 13, 2024 12:52 PM in response to brentgrab

I couldn’t agree more. I really miss the original timeline scrubber. Please bring it back, Apple!

Dec 1, 2024 10:26 AM in response to brentgrab

Created an account just to comment on this. Iphone user since the Original, my god the new video and photo control on iOS 18 is horrendous. Please change it back for the love of all that is holy.

Dec 5, 2024 11:30 AM in response to brentgrab

Yes please return video viewing to how it was before. Full screen and with the scrubber at the bottom. Keep full length scrubber when zoomed in.

Oct 2, 2024 6:39 PM in response to brentgrab

i gave the same problem, however, a bigger problem for me is when I watch a video I just made or watch a video on YouTube or TikTok the video will stop. Press play again and it will stop almost immediately. IOS18 has ruined everything about video capabilities on the device and viewing videos.

Oct 8, 2024 6:59 PM in response to Yer_Man

Your point is a good one, but remember how much we pay for these devices.

It’s also pretty standard for software companies at this level to have multiple layers of quality and product feedback.

Apple obviously rushed this release, didn’t coordinate effectively and still wants to be on top.

maybe the hyperbolic commentary is over done, but listen to what people are trying to communicate. They feel snubbed, especially because it’s now impossible to install a lower version of iOS.

brentgrab Author

Level 2

311 points

Oct 10, 2024 11:11 AM in response to SuperKung-Fu

Tell me about it! It is almost like a flash player on a website circa 1999! Not sure what Apple was thinking. It’s either a dire mistake or a department pushed this through without much thought. Very bad. We need this fixed.

BEADGC

Level 1

30 points

Oct 24, 2024 4:55 AM in response to brentgrab

Your topic was my exact first thoughts when I discovered this about video scrubbing / default crop size of photos and videos now. I also scoured the internet looking for answers and other people with similar issues. Spot on, mate. I’ve submitted my feedback to Apple. I hope that enough people do it so that they listen to us and change it. It’s almost impossible to use videos now for any type of educational/ instructional content. They’ve taken away all ability for it to function correctly .

Oct 24, 2024 6:26 AM in response to maccalvin5

The new way of viewing videos in the photos app is terrible. Apple, please fix it or revert it back to how it was before. I am seriously considering switching to an Android device because of this problem; it’s that debilitating for everyday use of my iPhone :(

Oct 24, 2024 3:03 PM in response to brentgrab

The video playback UI is hands down the worst feature I’ve ever used on any device. Period. Full stop.

Its virtually useless as the timeline doesn’t use any different color to see your place, if you scroll along the the timeline, it somehow shrinks the video time into a fraction of the full video forcing you return to the start. Then anytime I touch it, the screen automatically shrinks back to 70% screen size. OMG, it literally drives me bananas.

Apple - just put it back to normal and leave it.

Nov 1, 2024 4:20 AM in response to brentgrab

I experience the same issue. Not only the picture is extremely small, the constant zooming in and out gives you a headache (when editing a bunch of photos/videos in a raw). All the unnecessary scrolling in the new Photos app makes me dizzy every time.

brentgrab Author

Level 2

311 points

Nov 18, 2024 8:17 AM in response to Alpick1

Yup! Everything about this update regarding video playback and the Photos app is atrocious. I have 18.1 right now and at first I thought the issue where when you zoom in and try to play the video only some of it shows was fixed… But it actually isn’t fixed. It works intermittently. Meaning if you click play and watch it in the stupid small size it’ll play fully through but if you zoom in on the video to try to enlarge it, and then hit play half of the time, it only plays one second of the full video no matter how long the video is. There are rubbers that in 18.2 that the issue of videos opening in a smaller screen and whether in the full screen, the plate controls are removed is apparently fixed. But we will see soon. I hope that they bring back the dab slider/scroll bar/thumb down scrubber. That was invaluable and made playback and seeking for certain parts of the video easy such as to grab screenshots or to quickly jump to a section of that you’re looking for. Now it’s completely mysterious because of the translucent white bar and you have no idea where you are when you’re thumbing away especially on longer videos.

Wkeae

Level 1

20 points

Dec 11, 2024 5:55 AM in response to brentgrab

Apple, this was one of the features I use often . To be able to view video frame by frame and take a screenshot of the scene I wanted , but of course after zooming in , I would have to exit completely and open the movie again to be able to go to the shot I want ! If I miss it and the shot ends up being one or two frames on either side , I’d have to start over !

I hate it , hate it , I hate enough that I am thinking of doing a switch to another system android maybe !!!

brentgrab Author

Level 2

311 points

Dec 12, 2024 11:10 PM in response to brentgrab

UPDATE 12/11/24: iOS 18.2 has been released publicly. SOME issues with video feedback are fixed such as videos now stay open in full screen when playing, pausing, and tapping. BUT the scroller is still that little slider and it’s not as easy to control as the thumbnail scrubber found in 17.0 and below. Also the play/pause button is way on the left side of the screen. The time stamp is showing again too which is good but It’s just still too difficult to “seek” for a specific part of a video and grab frames when compared with how it used to be. It’s especially difficult the longer the video it is.

It does appear Apple is listening to feedback but how 18.0 and 18.1 even got to that point is baffling. I’m happy that some things are slightly better now but I’d prefer it to just go back to how it used to be.

Video Playback on iOS 18 is Broken - Video size is small and timeline ends early when setting video to full frame or zooming in. Serious bug.