Amazon-owned live-streaming service Twitch announced at its annual TwitchCon event earlier this year that it was moving into the vertical video space. According to market research firm AppSensa, these initial alpha tests have already begun with several streamers.
In a recent build, the company found references to vertical video tests and information about what features these new streams will offer. Once fully launched, this feature will make Twitch more competitive with other popular vertical video services such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
So far, Twitch’s tests have not been extensive, as AppSensa’s research found only a few references in the app’s code that mentioned that the tests would only focus on “a few streamers” for now. (The company was unable to identify which ones.) It also managed to identify a vertical cinema mode with special UI elements and a way to switch between Twitch’s classic and new vertical video formats.
When users first encounter this feature, they will be presented with tutorial dialogs that say “vertical video is here” and remind users that this is still just a test and they can switch to classic viewing at any time.
AppSensa also noted that the current implementation includes handling camera and microphone access permissions as required by mobile platforms, indicating that the app will be used for live broadcasts.
A Twitch spokesperson declined to say more about the tests, noting only that during its presentation at the TwitchCon conference in Rotterdam earlier this year, the company said it would start testing with a small number of channels in the summer. The company representative added that these tests will be expanded to a larger number of users later this year.
During TwitchCon, the company announced that it would also test dual-format and 2K broadcasting with a small number of channels.
