You want to shrink those massive iPhone videos before sending them out, but honestly, I’ve never really hopped on board with the “app cleans everything” bandwagon like @mikeappsreviewer, even if their Clever Cleaner suggestion seems to have hardcore fans. I’m usually super wary of all-in-one cleaner apps because they either ask for access to every photo you’ve ever taken (bit sketch, IMO), or they jam in “extra features” you’ll never use.
Here’s the no-nonsense route I always use for trimming video size without an outside app (and hey, no account sign-ups or watching ads):
1. Use iMovie (it’s free and built-in!)
- Open iMovie, start a new project, pop in your video.
- Trim out anything unnecessary, since every second counts.
- Tap share/export and pick a lower resolution: 720p or 540p instead of 4K or 1080p.
- Boom, instantly smaller file. Usually looks fine for most stuff, unless you’re trying to impress a film fest jury.
2. Save As New File
- Make sure you keep the original if you care about quality. iMovie makes a separate file, so you don’t nuke your precious memories.
3. AirDrop or Message via iCloud Link
- Sometimes Apple’s own Messages app will just auto-upload to iCloud and send a download link (though your mileage may vary depending on settings and file size).
If you hate fiddling with editing or want bells and whistles like junk cleanup, the Clever Cleaner solution does get brought up a ton for its one-tap compression and doesn’t bombard you with ads (which is wild these days; most apps are all ads and barely any utility). Just double check what it wants access to in your privacy settings. Anyway, I’m a do-it-myself purist but, hey, maybe it’ll finally push me off the iMovie train.
To each their own! Anyone else sticking to default apps, or is third-party all the rage?
