Google is reportedly getting ready to release its mobile video editing app YouTube Create on iOS.
YouTube Create first launched in 2023 and was initially exclusively available on Android devices. The app allows people to make and edit videos using just their phones. It was built after input from over 3,000 creators, who helped shape the features to match what they needed. Users can add things like stickers, GIFs, and visual effects to both Shorts and full-length videos.
According to a report by TechCrunch, Google is now developing an iOS version of YouTube Create, almost two years after it first launched on Android. Job ads seen by TechCrunch show that Google is hiring engineers in India to work on the new version.
These listings show the company is recruiting software engineers in Bengaluru to build the app for iPhones. The Android app was initially released in the U.S. and seven other countries in September 2023.
YouTube Create is part of Google’s attempt to compete with CapCut, a video editing app widely used by TikTok creators. CapCut is owned by ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok. But despite Google’s efforts, TechCrunch reports that exclusive data shared with the news outlet from Sensor Tower shared with TechCrunch shows that YouTube Create still trails well behind CapCut and another video editing app InShot.
According to TechCrunch, the gap between YouTube Create and CapCut is clear in the download figures. During the second quarter of 2025, CapCut was downloaded 66 million times on Android devices, while InShot saw 21 million downloads. YouTube Create, by contrast, was downloaded fewer than 500,000 times during the same period. Since its launch, it has reached just 4 million downloads in total.
The news outlet says that user engagement shows a similar pattern. CapCut had over 442 million monthly active Android users in the second quarter of this year and InShot had 92 million. YouTube Create had fewer than one million monthly active users during that time.
Still, the app is showing some signs of progress, according to TechCrunch. Sensor Tower’s data shows that YouTube Create saw a 28% increase in monthly active users in the second quarter compared to the same time last year. That growth rate was higher than CapCut’s 9% increase, while InShot saw a 7% decline.
The news comes after Instagram rolled out “Edits,” a video editing app that closely resembles the Chinese-owned platform CapCut, earlier this year.
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