BBC iPlayer is now optimized for iPhone 5, meaning no more black bars

Good news Apple fans, the BBC has finally released an updated version of iPlayer for iOS, bringing much-needed support for the iPhone 5 which was announced almost three months ago.

Just to recap, the BBC last updated its iPlayer iOS app back on September 4, the main addition being the ability to download TV programmes to watch within a 30-day period.

While some questioned why it didn’t offer the same functionality for radio shows, a bigger issue was soon to rear its head, when Apple announced the imminent arrival of iPhone 5 a week later.

Indeed, the existing iPlayer wasn’t optimized for Apple’s new smartphone form factor. The Twitterati was quick to point this out too, with countless comments springing up over the past few months urging the BBC to get its house in order.

Now, however, the iPlayer app is fully optimized for the iPhone 5, meaning it’s full-screen and there are no more black bars.

However, the BBC has also taken the opportunity to include a few additional features with this latest update, including the ability to plug your iPhone into your TV to watch iPlayer, something that was already available with the iPad app.

In addition to a handful of other bug fixes, the iPlayer-watching experience has been tweaked somewhat for iPad-users, if you take a peek behind the ‘More’ and ‘Live Channels’ buttons in the app. The ‘More’ button provides a transparent overlay across the bottom of the screen, displaying images such as More From This Series and More Like This during on-demand playback.

The ‘Live Channels’ button, on the other hand, enables channel-hopping during live broadcasts.

➤ iPlayer | iOS

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