Apple is winding down support for its video editing app, Clips, confirming it has removed the app from the App Store and will no longer issue updates.
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In an update to its support page, Apple announced that as of October 10, Clips is no longer available for new users to download. While existing users can continue to use the app on current and earlier versions of iOS and iPadOS, the lack of future updates means the app will likely become more difficult to use over time. Apple is advising current users to download their Clips videos—with or without effects—to their photo library for viewing and editing in other applications. Existing users can still re-download the app from their purchase history if necessary.
Launched in 2017, Clips was Apple’s attempt to compete with the rising popularity of formats like Snapchat and Instagram Stories. It wasn’t a social network itself, but it allowed users to quickly stitch together photos and videos, adding filters, emojis, and music.
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Many noted that the app’s editing capabilities were “simple to a fault,” suggesting Clips served to showcase Apple’s hardware and software while offering users an editing path outside of third-party social ecosystems. Although MacRumors reports that the app did receive feature upgrades early on, recent years saw updates limited mostly to bug fixes.
The news was met with little surprise by users online, with many on Reddit admitting they had either never heard of Clips or had only briefly tried it years ago. The decision to discontinue Clips also reflects a broader shift in the digital landscape. A video app centred on real user-shot footage now feels comparatively old-fashioned next to advancements like OpenAI’s generative AI video tool, Sora, which recently surpassed one million downloads.
