Apple Shuts Down Its Clips Video Editing App, in an End of an Era for Casual Creators

Apple has quietly retired its Clips video editing app, bringing to a close one of its longest-running experiments in short-form video creation.

The app, which launched in 2017, was initially designed to help users create and share quick, expressive videos for social media — a clear nod to the rising influence of platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and later TikTok.

In a support update published this week, Apple confirmed the app’s discontinuation, stating: “The Clips app is no longer being updated, and will no longer be available for download for new users as of October 10, 2025.”

The app has also been removed from the App Store. However, users who have already downloaded it can continue using it on iOS and iPadOS devices for now.

Over its eight-year lifespan, Clips evolved from a simple, playful video tool into a surprisingly capable editor, offering text overlays, live titles, filters, soundtracks, and even AR-based effects that made use of Apple’s front-facing camera technology. The company added Memoji support, HDR recording, and improved integration with newer iPhones and iPads. But over the past two years, updates had slowed to a trickle, and users had begun to suspect that Apple was winding down support.

The confirmation has left many casual creators reconsidering their workflows. While the app remains functional for those who already have it installed, Apple is urging users to save all videos directly to their Photos library, noting that future iOS updates could eventually render the app incompatible. The support document guides users through exporting projects both with and without effects, ensuring their content isn’t lost once Clips stops working altogether.

For creators who relied on Clips for quick edits and social sharing, the end of the app represents a broader shift in Apple’s priorities. When it debuted, Clips was Apple’s answer to the fast-growing world of user-generated content — a bridge between the simplicity of iMovie and the complex editing suite of Final Cut Pro. But as social platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts built powerful native editing tools into their apps, Clips gradually lost relevance.

The move also underscores Apple’s transition toward professional-grade creative tools and system-level editing features. The company has invested heavily in expanding Final Cut Pro for iPad, improving Photos app editing capabilities, and introducing AI-assisted tools across its ecosystem. These changes suggest Apple is now focusing on empowering both professional creators and everyday users within its main apps, rather than maintaining standalone creative tools with limited appeal.

The implications for users are significant. While professionals can turn to Final Cut Pro or iMovie, Clips has filled a unique niche: a free, easy-to-use tool for quick, fun, social-ready videos. Its absence leaves casual creators — particularly younger users — with fewer Apple-native options. Many are likely to migrate to third-party alternatives like CapCut, InShot, or VN Editor, which dominate the short-form editing market and offer deep integration with platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Apple’s decision may also mark the company’s recognition that social media video editing has moved beyond its ecosystem, as most users now prefer to create and share content directly within apps that already include robust editing tools.

However, Clips will be remembered as one of Apple’s more ambitious consumer-facing experiments — an app that briefly captured the spirit of the short-video era before the market was overtaken by social giants. For those who embraced it early, the shutdown feels like the quiet retirement of a tool that made creative expression accessible to anyone with an iPhone.