Managing Orientation and Video Playback in iOS Apps

As a developer, it’s common to encounter scenarios where you need to handle orientation changes and video playback simultaneously. In this article, we’ll explore how to play videos in both portrait and landscape orientations using MPMoviePlayerController in an iOS app.

Understanding MPMoviePlayerController

MPMoviePlayerController is a class that plays audiovisual content (video and sound) on the screen of a device running iOS. It’s a great tool for playing videos in your app, but it requires some configuration to work with different orientations.

Portrait Support Only?

When you initially build your project, you might not have enabled portrait support only. To do this:

1. Open your Xcode project.
2. Go to Product > Destination and select the device or simulator for which you want to enable portrait support only.
3. In the Devices tab, check the box next to **Use Portrait Only" under Device Settings.

Alternatively, you can set this in your Info.plist file:

<key>UISupportedInterfaceOrientations</key>
<array>
    <string>UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait</string>
</array>

<key>RequiredDeviceCapabilities</key>
<array>
    <string>UISupportedInterfaceOrientations</string>
</array>

Enabling Landscape Support

To enable landscape support for your app:

1. Go to Product > Destination and select the device or simulator for which you want to enable portrait support only.
2. In the Devices tab, check the box next to UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeLeft and/or UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeRight.
3. Alternatively, update your Info.plist file:

<key>UISupportedInterfaceOrientations</key>
<array>
    <string>UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait</string>
    <string>UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeLeft</string>
    <string>UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeRight</string>
</array>

<key>RequiredDeviceCapabilities</key>
<array>
    <string>UISupportedInterfaceOrientations</string>
</array>

Playing Videos in Both Orientations

Now that you’ve enabled both portrait and landscape support, you can play videos using MPMoviePlayerController. However, to make it work with different orientations, you need to return NO from the shouldAutorotate: method in all view controllers except the one where you want to show the video.

Implementing shouldAutorotate:

Let’s create a sample view controller that plays a video when rotated to landscape orientation:

// MyVideoPlayerViewController.h

#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>

@interface MyVideoPlayerViewController : UIViewController

@end

// MyVideoPlayerViewController.m

#import "MyVideoPlayerViewController.h"

@implementation MyVideoPlayerViewController

- (BOOL)shouldAutorotate {
    return NO; // don't allow video player to rotate
}

- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];

    // Create and configure MPMoviePlayerController instance
    MPMoviePlayerController *player = [[MPMoviePlayerController alloc] init];
    player.url = [NSURL URLWithString:@"https://example.com/video.mp4"];
    player.view.frame = self.view.bounds;
    [self.view addSubview:player.view];

    [player setShouldAutoplayNextVideoAfterPlayFinish:YES];
}

@end

In this example, the shouldAutorotate: method returns NO to prevent the video player from rotating. The viewDidLoad: method creates and configures an MPMoviePlayerController instance with a URL pointing to a sample video.

Using Portrait Orientation

To ensure that your video playback works in portrait orientation, you can update the shouldAutorotate: method for other view controllers:

// MyOtherViewController.h

#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>

@interface MyOtherViewController : UIViewController

@end

// MyOtherViewController.m

#import "MyOtherViewController.h"

@implementation MyOtherViewController

- (BOOL)shouldAutorotate {
    return YES; // allow video player to rotate
}

@end

In this case, the shouldAutorotate: method returns YES to enable portrait support for the MPMoviePlayerController instance.

Conclusion

Managing orientation and video playback can be challenging in iOS apps. By enabling both portrait and landscape support, using MPMoviePlayerController, and implementing the shouldAutorotate: method correctly, you can play videos in both orientations. Remember to update your project settings and view controllers as needed to ensure seamless video playback.

Additional Tips

• When working with multiple view controllers and orientations, make sure to update your navigation stack accordingly.
• Use UIInterfaceOrientation constants (e.g., UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait, UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeLeft) when configuring your app’s orientation.
• If you need more advanced control over video playback, consider using a third-party library like AVPlayer.

Example Use Cases

• Creating a tab bar app with portrait support only for the main view controller and landscape support for a detail view controller
• Building an iPad app with both portrait and landscape orientations to display video content

Last modified on 2024-07-03