Beyond the smartphone: How JioHotstar optimized its UX for foldables and tablets
Article Summary
Prateek Batra from Google reveals how JioHotstar transformed their streaming app for 400 million users. The secret? Treating tablets and foldables as first-class citizens, not just stretched phones.
JioHotstar, India's leading streaming platform with 330,000+ hours of content, tackled the challenge of adapting their phone-first UI to foldables and tablets. Using Google's adaptive app guidance and Material 3 libraries, they achieved Tier 1 large screen app status by reimagining layouts for different form factors.
Key Takeaways
- Implemented WindowSizeClass to create optimized layouts for compact, medium, and extended widths
- Added Tabletop Mode for foldables: video on top, controls on bottom
- Loaded appropriate hero images per form factor instead of simple scaling
- Increased touch targets to 48dp and made navigation adaptive across screens
Critical Insight
JioHotstar achieved Tier 1 large screen status by using Material 3 Adaptive library to dynamically adjust layouts, images, and controls across 400 million users' devices.
