If you’re accustomed to the YouTube app defaulting to full-screen video playback when you turn your handset into landscape orientation, then I can only imagine your dismay when the YouTube app added the new behavior in which it displayed comments beside the video playback before going full-screen. I say this because I wasn’t too happy with it myself.
It’s easy enough to close the comments section out and return to the full-screen landscape video playback, but I don’t really think it should be a two-step process since most people use landscape mode to escape the smaller video frame in the portrait orientation. And a new and free jailbreak tweak release called youtube no panel by OS developer Elio Feghali underscores how I’m not the only one who feels this way.
This simple jailbreak tweak merely prevents the YouTube app from displaying the comments interface when you turn your iPhone into landscape orientation during YouTube video playback. Once installed, the video will always go full screen when you switch to landscape mode, bringing back the functionality long enjoyed by users before YouTube decided to botch it in a recent update to the iOS app.
In the /r/jailbreak post, Feghali says it’s already possible to disable the YouTube comments field in the YouTube app’s landscape orientation mode with PoomSmart’s TYABConfig tweak, however Feghali decided to release this tweak as a simple installable patch for anyone who doesn’t want to deal with the complexities of configuration. That said, you can certainly use YTABConfig instead if that’s your cup of tea.
The youtube no panel jailbreak tweak is available as a free download from Elio Feghali’s personal repository via any package manager app of your choosing and supports jailbroken iOS 13 and 14 devices with the latest version of the YouTube app installed (at the time of this writing, that’s version 17.40.5).Those not already using Elio Fegh’s personal repository can add it to their package manager app by using the URL provided below:
https://eliofegh.github.io/
Notably, a future update could break the youtube no panel tweak, so it may be wise to avoid YouTube app updates if you use it. Anyone wishing to view the source code for the youtube no panel jailbreak tweak can visit the developer’s GitHub page to see it.
Do you hate when the YouTube app displays comments when you use the landscape video viewing orientation? Let us know in the comments section down below.
