YouTube on Apple's latest iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max now supports HDR playback, taking full advantage of Super Retina XDR display.
YouTube Now Supports HDR on Apple's Latest iPhones, but Casually Leaves the iPad Pro out of the Party
Available as a free update straight from the App Store, the YouTube app now finally supports the playback of HDR content on the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. And yes, in case you are wondering, that is not a typo, the iPhone 11 is not included in the list of supported devices in the latest update despite having a wide color gamut.
Just open up any video on YouTube that supports HDR and you'll see immediately in the list of available resolutions whether or not you are playing back in high dynamic range. And in case you are wondering, you have to pump up your iPhone's display brightness to maximum for the full HDR effect. It's a highly subjective thing, and there's a good chance that you'll see a video in HDR and be completely unmoved by it.
Keep one more thing in mind: HDR videos are going to take up a lot of data while streaming on a cellular network. Until or unless you really have to watch HDR content, I will recommend doing some manual adjustments of the video resolution in order to ensure that you don't eat up all your data while appreciating those vivid, true to life colors.
Update Today and View Content in HDR on iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max
In order to download the update right now, instead of waiting on the automatic download feature to kick in, simply follow the steps outlined here: How to Update Apps in iOS 13 App Store [Tutorial]
If you are feeling super lazy to read all of that, then here's a quick version of things: launch the App Store, tap on your photo on the top right corner, pull down on the menu, the page will refresh, now tap on the Update button next to YouTube. If you don't see the Update button then it is highly likely that the app is already updated.
YouTube for iOS Still Doesn't Support HDR on iPad Pro
Despite having a bright enough display with a wide color gamut, it completely boggles my mind as to why the 2018 iPad Pro still does not support HDR playback on YouTube. Things get even worse when you realize that there's not even support for higher resolution video playback despite the iPad Pro having a pixel dense display.
Anyway, I'll keep the rant on hold for some other day. In the meantime, you can download the official YouTube app straight from the link below on your iPhone. Remember, the app does not support HDR on the iPhone 11, just the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are supported.
Download YouTube for iOS [App Store link]
