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Here’s how to record square video on iPhone instead of default 16:9 (No 3rd party app installation required)

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Wanted to record video in square format? Check out how easy you how you can do so on your iPhone.

With iPhone camera gets better and gets new enhancements and features every year, some settings – especially older and unpopular camera features – are moved and buried down somewhere in the Camera app. That’s what happen with square video and square photo. Back in the early years of iPhone, you can easily record video and capture photo in square, but nowadays, the settings is nowhere to be found. With this article, I’m show you how you can record video in square.

For capturing square photo, do check out this article instead: Here’s how to take square photo on latest iPhone and latest iOS at JILAXZONE.


How to record square video instead of default 16:9 format on your iPhone

These are the easy steps to do to record square videos using your iPhone camera.

1) On your iPhone, open Camera app.

Tap the “^” arrow up button to open a hidden camera settings

2) To take square video, use the “Photo” mode, then tap on the “^” (arrow up) button, located on the top screen to reveal hidden photo settings.

3) Tap on “4:3” button to reveal another hidden photo settings. You should find “Square”. Tap on “Square” to change the photo mode to square (1:1).

QuickTake mode to record “4:3” format video. Image courtesy of Apple.com.

4) Once you have done changing 4:3 into square, without changing the camera modes (you are still in “Photo” mode), quickly tap and hold the Shutter button (white circle button) in “Photo” mode. It will start recording video in the square mode while you press the Shutter button. There are 2 options here:
1st Option: Keep recording video while keep pressing the Shutter button. If you prefer this option, then keep pressing the Shutter button while recording the video. Once you have captured the video you want to capture, release the Shutter button to stop the iPhone camera from recording.
2nd Option: Keep recording video but without keep pressing the Shutter button. If you prefer this option, once the iPhone camera start recording video, slide your finger to the right side of the screen, from Shutter button to the lock button. Once reached the lock button, you can release your finger from the button, the iPhone camera will still record the video until you press the Shutter button again to stop it from recording.

Check out your video capture result. You just record a video in square format! Simple, isn’t it?


QuickTake compatible devices

The method I mentioned above, using “Photo” mode to record “square” video, is using iOS feature called “QuickTake”. Although QuickTake is like purely software feature (at least this what I thought), but apparently there’s some hardware limitation that Apple put in place to use QuickTake feature.

QuickTake feature is only compatible with any iPhone models starting from iPhone XS and iPhone XR or later model. In case you are not sure whether your iPhone is before or after iPhone XS/XR, you can use this list to check: iPhone models since beginning at JILAXZONE. If your iPhone is listed after iPhone XS or XR, then your are good to go.


How to keep “square” photo setting as default choice on your iPhone

Wanted to always record video using the “square” format? Then ensure to do this setup. Once set up, you can redo the steps above to record “square” video.

1) On your iPhone, open Settings.

2) Inside Settings, navigate to “Camera”.

3) Inside Camera settings, tap on “Preserve Settings”.

4) Inside Preserve Settings, switch ON “Camera Mode”.

By switching on camera mode, it will preserve the last mode used. So if your Camera last mode used was “square” photo, the next time you reopen the Camera app, the mode will be “square” photo. You just need to redo the QuickTake method I taught you on the section above.


Bring it all together

So now you have learned how to easily record video in square format. In case you encountered any difficulties, don’t hesitate to submit your queries on the comment section down below. I’ll be happy to help and assists.

iPhone and iOS Tips and Tricks (iPad, iPod Touch and iPadOS included too!). Image courtesy of Apple.

Interested to see other iPhone and iOS tips and tricks, including other tricks with the iPhone Camera? Check them out here: iPhone and iOS tips and tricks at JILAXZONE.


Do you have anything you want me to cover on my next article? Write them down on the comment section down below.

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