On mobile devices, YouTube is currently testing a new pinch-to-zoom functionality.

The trial will continue through September 1 and is only available to YouTube Premium users. The decision to make this feature permanent will be made by YouTube at that time.

Pinch-to-zoom on YouTube’s website (Opens in a new window) can be enabled by YouTube Premium subscribers, who can then experiment with it on their iOS or Android devices. (However, before the test function was made available on my iPhone, I had to restart the YouTube app.)

Given that pinch-to-zoom has been a common feature on smartphones since the introduction of the first iPhone in 2007, the feature functions as you might anticipate. Up to a maximum zoom level of eight, it provides single-point modifications to the present magnification (1.0, 1.1, etc.).

This functionality has inherent limitations. There are fewer fine details to zoom in on since, for example, YouTube streams by default at lower resolutions on mobile devices. But with 8x magnification, even streams with higher resolution will appear very blocky.

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Users of YouTube could still value the opportunity to zoom in on anything in a video. The tool might be helpful for those looking for Easter Eggs or verifying their presence in a video’s backdrop so they can boast about being famous on the internet.

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