A whole category of apps in the App Store is about to be wiped out: Apple just announced that iOS 13 will finally let users rotate their recorded videos right from the Photos app. Yes, until now this is something that you’ve been unable to do with a new, out-of-the-box iPhone or iPad.
Apple software chief Craig Federighi announced the rotate function while going over other new features coming to the iOS camera and Photos app. There are new portrait effects and filters coming, and you’ll be able to apply them to video for the first time. “Now, for the first time, you can rotate a video,” is a line that got big applause in the year 2019. What a thing.
Apple’s iMovie app has the ability to rotate videos, but requires a separate installation on iOS devices. I’ve also used a third-party app called Video Rotate and Flip that does the job just fine. But having such a simple option baked right into the Photos app will be much appreciated by users once iOS 13 arrives in the fall.