YouTube for iPhone now compatible with Google Cardboard virtual reality headset, company announces

The feature has been available for Android for a while, but now iPhone users can enjoy YouTube's catalogue of 360-degree videos as well

Doug Bolton
Monday 16 May 2016 14:41 EDT
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A man uses Google's Cardboard VR headset
A man uses Google's Cardboard VR headset (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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You can finally watch YouTube's great collection of 360-degree videos in virtual reality (VR) on your iPhone.

The feature, which allows users to use a mobile VR headset like Google Cardboard to watch 360-degree videos, has been enjoyed by Android users for a while. However, it's never been available on iOS.

Now, it's being rolled out to all iPhone-owning users of the YouTube app. By tapping on a button within the video player, users can trigger 'Cardboard' mode.

If it's a 360-degree video, you'll be able to stick your phone in the headset and look around your new virtual world.

But even if it's a regular video, Cardboard mode still works - it simply reproduces the same video in each eye, making it seem as though you're watching the video on a huge cinema screen.

The expansion of this feature will drastically increase the amount of VR content which iPhone users can view.

Google may have another big VR announcement coming soon - the company is rumoured to be launching the 'Android VR' at this week's I/O developer conference, a standalone VR headset designed to bridge the gap between high-end devices like the Oculus Rift, and simple contraptions like Google Cardboard.

If you want to try this new feature out, YouTube has a handy playlist of VR videos ready for viewing.

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