Apple has officially pulled the plug on Clips, its video editing app that launched in 2017 with ambitions to simplify social media content creation. The company quietly removed the app from the App Store on October 10, 2025, marking the end of an eight-year experiment that never quite found its footing in an increasingly competitive social video landscape[1][4].
The End of the Road for Clips
The discontinuation came without fanfare, announced through a simple update to Apple’s support documentation. The company confirmed that while existing users can continue using Clips on current iOS and iPadOS versions, new downloads are no longer possible[4]. Users who previously downloaded the app can still redownload it from their Apple account in the App Store, but Apple hasn’t specified how long this access will last[2][4].
In a telling move, Apple has urged users to export their videos to the Photos app or other storage solutions before inevitable compatibility issues arise[1]. The company confirmed it has stopped updating the app entirely, suggesting that future iOS versions may leave Clips behind[4].
A Solution Looking for a Problem
When Clips debuted in 2017, it represented Apple’s most direct challenge to the social video revolution sparked by Snapchat and Instagram Stories. Rather than building its own social network, Apple took a characteristically different approach: create a standalone tool that lets users craft videos with filters, emojis, and music, then share them on their platform of choice[1].
The strategy was quintessentially Apple—provide powerful creative tools without dictating where users should post. But the execution fell short. TechCrunch described the app’s capabilities as “simple to a fault” in its 2017 review, suggesting it was simultaneously too basic for power users and not intuitive enough for casual creators[1].
Why Clips Never Caught On
The fundamental problem facing Clips was timing and competition. By 2017, social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok had already integrated sophisticated video editing tools directly into their apps. The features that Clips offered—filters, text overlays, music integration—became standard fare across major platforms, eliminating the need for a separate editing app[4].
The decline was evident in Apple’s update pattern. While the company initially rolled out new features, recent years brought only bug fixes—a clear signal of diminishing internal priority[1]. The app failed to carve out a meaningful user base, becoming one of Apple’s most overlooked products.
What This Means for Apple’s Strategy
The discontinuation of Clips signals a broader shift in Apple’s content creation strategy. As the company pivots toward AI-powered tools and features, maintaining a standalone social video app no longer aligns with its vision[1]. The move follows a pattern of Apple quietly retiring products that don’t gain traction, preferring to fold useful features into its core ecosystem rather than maintain separate applications.
For the few remaining Clips users, the message is clear: backup your content now. Apple’s warning about future compatibility issues suggests the app’s days are numbered, even for those who already have it installed[4].
The death of Clips marks the end of Apple’s brief flirtation with social video tools as a standalone product. In an era where every major platform offers integrated editing capabilities, a separate app for creating social videos simply couldn’t compete—even with Apple’s brand behind it.
Sources
[1] https://www.techbuzz.ai/articles/apple-quietly-kills-clips-app-after-8-year-run
[2] https://werindia.com/science-and-technology/gadgets
[4] https://www.engadget.com/apple-is-winding-down-clips-its-forgotten-video-editing-app-210907085.html