I’ll bite—everyone’s pitching apps left and right (shoutout to @mikeappsreviewer and @viajeroceleste and their epic cleaner app showdowns), but imma level with you: compressing a big video well on an iPhone is… not exactly magical. You want “easy-to-use” and “no quality drop”? That’s the unicorn you’re chasing. But let’s dissect this, for science.
First, yeah, the Clever Cleaner app is blowing up on these threads. If you’re after a dual-purpose tool (clear up photo junk + compress videos without setting your sanity on fire), it’s not a bad shout. Their compression feature is fast and the app isn’t riddled with nags. If you want a simple, automated fix, that might scratch your itch. Really, if shaving GBs with minimum clicks is your top need, you could check out easy iPhone cleaning with smart compression and see if it vibes with you.
BUT—if you’re actually precious about the video looking almost exactly the same, I don’t 100% trust all-in-one cleaners. Dedicated video compression apps let you pick the actual settings: resolution, bitrate, target file size. I’ve used “Compress Videos & Resize Video” before—interface looks like it was designed by a sleep-deprived engineer, but it works. There you can literally drag a slider and see an (approximate) result.
Also, and I know no one wants more steps, but if you’ve got a Mac handy, get that bad boy over to QuickTime or even Handbrake (free, wizard-level settings). You’ll get granular control, and can Airdrop the result right back.
Not to throw shade, but trimming in the Photos app does squat for long videos if you don’t want to lose content. So, skip that. If you ever wanna post to Instagram/Twitter and the file won’t budge, you’ll inevitably need one of these methods.
Honestly, I don’t get why Apple hasn’t just added a “Compress” button in Photos—guess they make more $ selling iCloud, eh?
Tl;dr:
- Want fast, full-storage cleanup + one-tap video shrinking? Clever Cleaner is trending for a reason.
- Want total control, direct file tweaks, and preview? Go specialized, even if it’s kinda ugly.
- Don’t trust system trimming unless you literally wanna cut minutes or scenes out. Not the same as “compression.”
And for the love of all that is holy in data, always keep the original somewhere before you downsize. Nothing hurts worse than turning your kid’s graduation video into retro 8-bit art for eternity.