Android users trying to watch videos on Reddit are encountering a bizarre bug that stretches everything horizontally. The issue appears to have appeared with a recent update and shows no signs of slowing down, with complaints piling up across multiple subreddits.
The bug affects version 2025.41.0 of the Reddit app and disrupts video aspect ratios in the worst possible way. Videos that should normally display end up stretching wide, making faces appear distorted and content nearly unwatchable. A user on r/bugs posted a screenshot showing how bad it gets: videos are squashed and stretched until they are barely recognizable.
Another even shared a screen recording. Check it out below:
The “Watch” feed displays videos normally, but as soon as you click on a video in the main feed or in a subreddit, stretching will trigger. Some users are reporting that their uploads look perfect when previewed but stretch immediately after publishing, indicating a problem in how Reddit processes or displays video content.
Reports began to appear steep, r/NoStupidQuestions, r/reddithelpand even r/No rules as users tried to figure out if they were the only ones seeing it.
Turns out it’s widespread on Android devices: Pixel phones running Android 16, Realme devices running Android 12, and everything in between are affected. A user joked that Reddit is “bring back Putin memes” referring to the old stretched video meme format.
Desktop users report mixed experiences, with some seeing videos stretched vertically rather than horizontally, while mobile users experience horizontal distortion.
Reddit has yet to officially acknowledge the bug, but given the scale of the reports and the severity of its impact on core functionality, a fix should be available soon. Until then, Android users may want to stick to browsing text posts or wait until Reddit rolls out an update that fixes the issue.
Featured image credit: u/flogsmen / Reddit
