Why Are Pinch-to-Zoom and Video Embedding in Galleries Missing from Squarespace?

Hello,

I’m creating this thread to gain a better understanding of why Squarespace lacks two important features for viewing images and videos: pinch-to-zoom on mobile devices and the ability to embed videos in galleries. I’ve read countless threads from other users expressing the need for these features, and from my perspective, it seems like they could be added—even as part of a premium tier—given how dominant images and videos are as media on websites.

Most CMS platforms offer these capabilities, and many users have noted that these features were available in the previous version of Squarespace. This makes me wonder if there are specific reasons for not including them in the current version.

This is particularly disappointing because I genuinely believe Squarespace is a fantastic platform that is only missing a few key features to make it even better. Unfortunately, the absence of these options doesn’t meet my needs. I was in the process of moving my sites and clients over to Squarespace, but now I’m exploring other options to see what else is available—though that’s not what I want to do. I’d much rather stay with Squarespace.

It would be great if someone from Squarespace could provide insight into why these features are not available. This isn’t intended to spark a thread of complaints or requests for workarounds but rather to seek a genuine explanation as a user. While the answer may not be what I’m hoping for, I would still appreciate the transparency, and it would give the community a clearer understanding of why these features are not included.

Hopefully, someone from Squarespace can provide some insight.

Thanks,
Chris