Apple Says Goodbye To The Clips App: The End Of An Era For iPhone Creators
Apple says goodbye to the Clips app, officially ending support for its short-form video editing tool that once aimed to rival Snapchat and Instagram Stories. The company has quietly removed the app from the App Store, marking the end of an eight-year experiment in lightweight, creative video editing.
Clips Removed From App Store, No More Updates Ahead
According to Apple’s updated support page, Clips is no longer available for new users to download as of October 10, 2025. However, existing users can still access and re-download the app through their Apple accounts if they’ve used it before.
Apple also confirmed that it will no longer provide updates or bug fixes, meaning the app could eventually lose functionality on future versions of iOS and iPadOS. The company encourages users to save their existing Clips projects to the Photos app so they can continue editing or sharing them using other software.
Why Apple Is Pulling The Plug On Clips
Launched back in 2017, Clips was Apple’s creative experiment — a middle ground between iMovie and social video platforms. It allowed users to stitch together short clips, add emojis, filters, text overlays, and background music, all without needing a third-party app.
At the time, many saw Clips as Apple’s quiet answer to Snapchat and Instagram Stories — not a full social network, but a tool designed to highlight iPhone and iPad camera capabilities. TechCrunch’s Brian Heater even noted that while Clips was “simple to a fault,” it showcased Apple’s hardware and software integration strengths.
Limited Updates, Limited Adoption
Over the years, Apple’s updates to Clips slowed down significantly. While the app initially received creative new features — like Memoji integration and AR effects — recent years brought only minor bug fixes.
According to MacRumors, the lack of major innovation and user traction likely sealed its fate. The app never reached mass popularity, with many Apple fans on Reddit admitting they either used it once or never at all.
From Clips To AI: A Shift In Apple’s Creative Strategy
Apple’s decision to sunset Clips also reflects a broader shift toward AI-driven creativity tools. The timing coincides with the explosive rise of apps like OpenAI’s Sora, which has surpassed one million downloads by generating videos entirely from text prompts.
Compared to that, Clips — reliant on user-shot footage — feels almost nostalgic, representing an earlier era of social creativity before AI reshaped the landscape. This move could also signal Apple’s renewed focus on AI-powered media tools expected to arrive with iOS 19 and the company’s next-generation Vision Pro updates.
What This Means For Apple Users
If you’re still using Clips, Apple recommends exporting your projects soon. Without future updates, compatibility issues are inevitable. You can still open the app on current or earlier iOS versions, but it’s only a matter of time before it becomes obsolete.
For casual creators, the end of Clips might not be devastating, but for nostalgic Apple fans, it marks the quiet end of a creative experiment that once hinted at the future of mobile storytelling.
As Apple says goodbye to the Clips app, it’s clear the company is ready to move on from short-form video editing toward something bigger — possibly AI-driven creativity. While Clips never became a breakout hit, it remains a reminder of Apple’s willingness to experiment and adapt to changing creative trends.
Post a Comment