VideoBro / How it works

Start a tape. Pass it around. Hit Develop.

Everyone films into one tape from their own iPhone, and Develop turns it into one film.

Read the steps Why the crew matters

Six words you'll see a lot

A tape works like a shared album: everyone adds from their own iPhone, and it comes back out as one film.

Tape
The shared container: one trip, one season, one party. Everyone you invite films into it.
Active Tape
A tape still being filmed. You can have several going at once.
Develop
The button that turns an Active Tape into one film. It runs in the cloud, so you can close the app.
Film
What Develop makes: everyone's clips, in order, as one video.
Tape Cabinet
Where finished films live, on your phone and on the web.
Shelf
A group of films in the Cabinet. Hide one behind Face ID, or share it by link.

Start to finish, in ten steps

  1. Start a tape

    Tap New Tape and name it: the weekend, the season, the party. One tape per thing.

    The Create Tape dialog on an iPhone: a cassette with a NEW label above the words Create Tape, a Tape Name field, and Cancel and Create buttons over the keyboard.
    Name it like a label. That's the only decision.

  2. Press REC, then film sideways like you always do

    Tap REC at the top of the screen, then film with the iPhone Camera app, holding the phone sideways. There's no camera inside VideoBro: when you come back, the clips you shot are on the tape.

    Only horizontal video goes on a tape. REC only collects what you film while it's on, and nothing already on your phone is added unless you choose it.

    Two hands hold an iPhone sideways in the regular Camera app, filming a band; a dotted arrow drops the clip onto a tape below. A vertical phone is crossed out: not vertical. Hold the camera sideways, use the regular phone camera.
    Sideways, in the Camera app you already have. The clip lands on the tape.

  3. Add the clips you already have

    Tap + in the corner of the clip list to open Add Clips, then pick videos already on your phone. Vertical ones are marked and can't be added. Each clip drops in at the moment it was recorded, so old and new footage line up as one timeline.

    Add Clips can also open an iCloud Shared Album you're in; those videos are placed by the date saved with each one.

    Anything already on your phone can go on the tape.

  4. Invite your crew

    Tap Collab, then Invite, and send the link. Whoever opens it films into the same tape from their own phone.

    A tape holds up to 8 people, including you, on every plan. Anyone on the tape with an account can invite more; friends without an account can still join, film and watch. Invite links work for 7 days.

    Everything about shared tapes
    The invite panel open over a tape called MY LA, which is resting on a view across the treetops to a distant city skyline. The panel reads Bring People In above a large QR code, a line noting the invite works for seven days, and a Send Link button.
    Send the link however you like, or let someone scan the code.

  5. Clips play in the order they were shot

    Clips are ordered by when they were recorded, not when they finished uploading. Three phones filming the same evening make one timeline, in the order it happened.

    A phone that was offline until morning still slots its clips into the right moments. There's no drag-to-reorder.

  6. Watch it take shape

    Tap a clip and it plays straight into the next, in order. Turn the phone sideways for full screen, swipe to jump between clips, and hold the left or right side of the picture to rewind or fast-forward.

    Holding one side runs the tape on, static and all.

  7. Make simple edits

    Swipe a clip to delete it. Press and hold a clip to trim its start and end. That's the whole editor.

    Trims never touch the original video and are applied when the tape is developed, so you can change your mind. Anyone on the tape can trim or remove any clip.

    Editing and playback, in detail
    The Edit Clip sheet on an iPhone: the clip previewed at the top, a Trim Video thumbnail strip below it with a handle pulled in at each end, a duration readout of seven seconds, play and skip controls, and Cancel and Save buttons.
    Pull the handles in. Nothing is cut until the tape is developed.

  8. Develop it

    Anyone on the tape with an account taps Develop. VideoBro puts everyone's clips together in the cloud, in order, with your trims, as one widescreen film.

    Once your clips have uploaded you can close the app. It takes a few minutes, longer for a big tape, and everyone on the tape gets a Tape Developed! notification.

    What Develop does, exactly
    Developing, then the finished film in the Cabinet.

  9. Keep it in the Tape Cabinet

    The film lands in your Tape Cabinet and in the Cabinet of everyone on the tape. Sort films onto shelves, hide a shelf behind Face ID, pick a cover, or save a film to your Camera Roll.

    Share a film with one unlisted link: anyone with it can watch in a browser, no app or account needed. Stop sharing and the link dies. You can also open your Cabinet on any computer at watchvideobro.com.

    The Tape Cabinet
    The VideoBro Tape Cabinet: finished films in a grid with their titles, dates and running times, and named shelves below, each with a share icon.
    The Tape Cabinet, with shelves.

  10. Reopen it if you need to

    Forgot a clip? For 30 days after developing, anyone on the tape with an account can tap Continue Editing on the film. The tape goes back to Active; add or trim, then tap Develop Changes.

    The old film leaves the Cabinet for everyone still on the tape, with no undo. After 30 quiet days, VideoBro clears the raw clips behind a film to save space. The finished film stays.

    What stays, what gets cleaned up
    ActiveActive Tape

    Filming, adding, trimming.

    Develop
    CloudDeveloping

    A few minutes. Close the app.

    Ready
    CabinetFinished Film

    Watch, shelve, share.

    Continue Editing (within 30 days) puts the tape back on Active. Develop Changes makes the new film.

What it doesn't do, on purpose.

These are the same on every plan, and none of them is a limit you can pay to lift.

  • No reordering. Clips play in the order they were shot.
  • No filters, titles or music. Trim and delete are the whole edit. VHS mode only changes how a film plays, never the file.
  • No vertical video. Hold the phone sideways.
  • Two hours and eight people per tape. Need more? Start another tape.
  • Filming needs an iPhone. Watching a finished film needs only a browser.

Questions people ask first

Do my friends need the app?

To film into a tape, yes: that takes the iPhone app, and invited friends don't need an account to film. To watch a finished film, no: anyone with the link can watch it in a browser, with no app and no account.

Do I need an account?

To start your own tape, yes, a free one. To join someone else's tape from their invite, film into it and watch its film, no.

What if I have no signal?

Keep filming. Clips are saved on your phone and upload on their own when a connection comes back, even if the app isn't open.

Do I have to film in a particular order?

No. Clips land in the order they were recorded, not the order they uploaded. Join late or add older clips and it still lines up into one timeline.

What if someone films vertically?

It won't be added. REC only picks up horizontal video, and Add Clips won't add vertical video either. Turn the phone sideways before you shoot.

Can I keep more than one tape going?

Yes. An Active Tape has no deadline, so a season can run from the first game to the last alongside a trip on its own tape. Each keeps its own crew and clips until you Develop it.

More on developing: Develop, in full

Keep exploring

FeatureShared TapesInvites, the 8-person crew, chronology across phones, what removing someone does. FeatureEditing & PlaybackTrim, delete, preview, and the rewind you can feel. FeatureDevelopWhat happens in the cloud, who gets the film, and Continue Editing. FeatureTape CabinetShelves, hidden shelves, sharing by link, the web Cabinet. PlanStorage & the free plan2 GB free, what counts, who pays for a shared tape, what stays. IdeasWhat people put on a tapeTrips, weddings, seasons, parties, grandparents, and the guides. WhyWhy VideoBro existsWhat the camcorder got right, and how phones lost it. StoryThe imperfect home movieEditing here means trim and delete, and delete is the harder call.

Start with 2 GB free.

The free plan is the real product, not a demo: make tapes, fill one with up to 8 people including you, trim, Develop, and share films by link. Storage is the only thing a paid plan will ever change.

DOWNLOAD ON THE APP STORE See how it works

Free on iPhone. No trial, no card. Anyone can watch a finished film in a browser. On a computer? Get it on your iPhone.