How to Create a GIF Using Twitter's In-App Camera on iOS

Make animated images using Twitter on your iPhone.

Twitter has added a new feature to its iOS app—the ability to make your own GIFs. While users have been able to tweet GIFs for quite a while now, this new feature to create your own GIFs is quite welcome.

What Is a GIF?

Chances are you've seen or used GIFs before. A GIF—which stands for graphics interchange format—is a short, animated picture that can be shared on different social media platforms. They gained popularity for their ease of use, allowing people to use animations or reactions without using an actual video.

How to Create a GIF in the Twitter App on Your iPhone

Sharing GIFs in a tweet has been possible for a long time now, however, creating a custom GIF in-app is a new and much-wanted feature. This involves using the iPhone's camera user interface, so if you've ever tweeted a photo or video before, you'll likely be familiar with the process:

1. Open up the Twitter app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Compose Tweet button at the bottom right.

3. Tap the camera button, and you should see a GIF option at the bottom of the screen.

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4. Tap on the GIF button, and tap on the Record button.
5. The Record button should record a small clip (of a few seconds), which you can then use as a GIF.

6. Once recorded, tap on the single arrow or double arrow to choose what type of GIF you want. The single arrow will only play the GIF forward, while the double arrow will play the GIF forward and then backward.

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7. Once you're happy with the result, tap Use GIF. You can tap Retake if you want to re-record the GIF.

That's it. Your very own GIF is now ready to share with the world!

As of March 2022, the feature is only available on iOS, but it'll most likely be released on Android soon. Unfortunately, it's not available on iPadOS either, which means iPad users will have to wait for an update.

The GIF will automatically be saved into your Photos folder, allowing you to use it again somewhere else if you want to.

Twitter's New Features

Twitter has recently been adding new features to its iOS apps, including a downvote feature, sort replies feature, and so on. It is good to see new changes coming to the app, which will hopefully also be introduced to Android and iPadOS soon.