Bring great third-party 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 grab them from the App Store, install them, enable the extensions, and then you can apply them at will, right from 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 in iOS 12
- How to access and use photo and video extensions in Photos in iOS 12
- How to access and use photo and video extensions in Photos in iOS 13
How to turn on photo and video extensions in Photos
To use a photo or video extension, you need to download an app from the App Store that contains photo or video extensions. Here are some of our favorites:
Once you've installed the app or apps:
- Launch the Photos app from your Home screen.
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Tap on the photo or video you'd like to edit.
- Tap the Edit button in the upper right corner.
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Tap on the More button at the bottom of your screen. It's a circle with three dots inside.
- Tap on More.
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Tap the switch next to the extension that you'd like to turn on.
Tap Done in the upper-right corner and your app extensions are ready to use!
How to access and use photo and video extensions in Photos
- Launch the Photos app from your Home screen.
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Tap on the photo or video you'd like to edit.
- Tap the Edit button in the upper right corner.
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Tap on the More button at the bottom of your screen. It's a circle with three dots inside.
- Tap on the app name that you'd like to pull filters or edits from.
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Make your edits and tap Done at the top when you're satisfied.
Repeat steps 4-6 again with other photo editing apps if you'd like. Tap Done in the upper-right corner when you're finished editing.
How to access and use photo and video extensions in Photos in iOS 13
Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.
In iOS 13, extensions don't need to be turned on, all the apps you have downloaded that can be used as extensions should already be in the Photos app ready to go.
- Launch the Photos app from your Home screen.
- Tap on the photo or video you'd like to edit.
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Tap Edit in the top right corner.
- Tap More the three dots in the top right corner.
- Tap the extension you want to use.
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Tap Done when finished editing.
Up your photography game
Moment Wide Lens for iPhone
The Moment Wide Lens gives you 2x more picture with a multi-element glass design that provides edge-to-edge clarity. You will need a Moment M-Series Photo Case or Photo Battery Case to use this lens.
Moment iPhone XS Photo Case
Moment's Photo Case gives you good protection for your device while also providing compatibility with all of the different Moment lenses that are available. Just insert and twist the lenses into the camera cutout area and you're good to go!
Olloclip Filmer's Kit for iPhone XS
This Filmer's Kit from Olloclip has everything you'll ever need for your iPhone XS photography. It includes macro, 2x telephoto pro, fisheye, super-wide, and ultra-wide lenses. It also has the Pivot, Olloclip's mobile video grip. It's everything you will ever need to get the best photos and video!
Updated August 2019: This article has been updated for iOS 13.