YouTube adds HDR support for iPhone 11 lineup

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YouTube TV logo
YouTube TV logo (Image credit: YouTube TV)

What you need to know

  • The YouTube has been updated to add HDR support.
  • iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max are the beneficiaries.
  • Still no 4K, though.

The long wait for 4K YouTube support on iPhone and iPad continues, but buyers of the latest iPhones can now at least enjoy their content in HDR.

The YouTube app has been updated to add HDR support for iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max (via MacRumors.) You can download it from the App Store for free.

YouTube app on iPhone 11 Pro

YouTube has supported HDR on some iPhones ever since the introduction of iPhone X in 2017, but this is the first time the latest iPhones have been included.

To make sure you're watching in HDR tap the three dots in the top-right corner of a video. Tap "Quality" and make sure that "HDR" appears next to the selected output. If it isn't, tap it to select it.

Not all videos support HDR, but there are plenty you can try to test your new iPhone out. I'd suggest setting your screen brightness to 100% and taking this video for a spin.

It really is rather impressive.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.