Bring great third-party editing features to the Photos app with extensions
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No more jumping between apps — with photo and video extensions all the filters and effects come right to you!
With extensibility, the Photos app works as a central hub for filters and effects from all the other compatible editing apps you've downloaded. All you have to do is download the apps with extensions from the App Store, then you can apply them at will, right from inside the Photos app.
Best of all, they're non-destructive. That means you can change, remove, and revert them at any time!
- How to turn on photo and video extensions in Photos the Photos app
- How to access and use photo and video extensions in the Photos app
How to turn on photo and video extensions in the Photos app
In order to use a photo or video extension, you'll have to download an app that makes use of the extensions feature. Some of our favorites include Camera+ 2, Darkroom, Pixelmator, and more.
With iOS 13 and later, apps that have a Photos app extension are turned on automatically, so you don't have to manually turn it on like before. However, you can choose Favorites, which bump those extensions to the top of the list. Here's how to do that:
- Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap on the photo or video that you want to edit.
Tap Edit in the upper right corner.
- Tap the "..." button in the upper right corner.
Tap on More in the menu.
- Tap Edit.
Tap the green + button on the extensions you want to Favorite, and you can rearrange the order that they appear by dragging the handle on the right.
How to access and use photo and video extensions in the Photos app
- Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap on the photo or video that you want to edit.
Tap Edit.
- Tap the "..." button.
- Tap on the extension that you want to use.
- Make your edits.
Tap Done to save your changes.
Questions?
Using Photos app extensions is a simple process, and itlets you stay in one app to make all the edits you need (unless an app doesn't support it). It's great feature of convenience for iPhone photographers. Have any questions about using extensions? Drop us a line in the comments.
Updated August 2020: This article has been updated for the latest versions of iOS.