It’s been tough for Android users who want to create their own videos, because so many of the best apps are exclusively for Apple users. Thankfully, that’s now finally changing, with Lightricks announcing that Videoleap is now available in the Google Play store.
Too many apps prioritize iOS first before crossing over to Android at a later date. It took 14 months for Clubhouse to be available on Android this past May after bursting onto the scene on the iPhone. It usually takes continued success for developers to decide the extra complexity and risk of leaving the controlled Apple store is worth it.
While many other apps have come across to Android, video editing is a particular exception.
At first glance, it seems like a huge oversight, as Android has a 73% share of the global mobile operating system market. Yet, in the US market, iPhone users have an average salary of $53,000, compared to $37,000 for Android users. This is significant in terms of disposable income and which user base is more likely to be able to spend money for in-app purchases. So app makers have neglected Android lovers for far too long.
Making the leap
Lightricks is one of the leading creators of visual creativity apps, and several of their products are already user favorites on Android, including Motionleap and FaceTune2. Yet even those unfamiliar with Lightricks would have their heads turned at a 4.5-star rating with over 50,000 ratings on the Apple store. This kind of reputation makes it almost certain to take the Android market by storm and become a major competitor.
As you can imagine, the anticipation is high, and not just from the video makers themselves. Other popular apps such as Lumafusion, Clips, and VideoGrade are iOS only. It will be interesting to see if they follow Videoleap’s lead and provide more choices for Android users. The longer they take, the more of the market that Lightricks can hoover up.
“Our entire mission is to build innovative tools and services that empower creativity and fuel the creator economy,” says Zeev Farbman, CEO, and co-founder of Lightricks. “With the launch of Videoleap on Android, we’re excited to see how our new Android users will indulge their expressiveness and bring their ideas to life.”
Social video to the tune of 2021
Videoleap has been around since 2017, so it’s fascinating to see Lightricks prioritize this move now. It follows wider trends in content consumption as video becomes ever more popular. Videoleap’s demand has skyrocketed in the last year, with a 70% growth in downloads.
Part of this is driven by faster download speeds with the widely publicized adoption of 5G. No longer are HD video viewers held back by bandwidth limitations.
What’s more, during COVID-19 lockdown, the amount of time people has spent with their screens has expanded considerably. We can see this in the meteoric rise of TikTok. The video app has a seamless experience, and users can see hundreds of videos in the space of an hour without performance degradation.
Some 32.5% of TikTok users are aged 10-19, so it makes sense for Videoleap to take a bet on the future with such a growing market. Younger people are more accustomed to watching video on their mobile devices, and this bodes well for the future of video editing apps.
Instagram is also shifting strategy toward video as a response to TikTok’s dominance. This means even those who currently don’t think they need a quality video editing app to grow on the platform will need to adjust. This could potentially mean a huge surge in demand.
The monetization of video is another crucial factor. No longer is video editing the domain of hobbyists. High-quality editing can lead to faster follower growth on social media, leading to greater opportunities for sponsorship and directing people to a business. It’s now a smart choice for many to invest in premium video editing tools because of the money they can generate.
What can Android users expect?
Videoleap is a pioneering app and won the Best App of 2017 award from the Apple store. Yet it’s been constantly updated since then and is a far more advanced product than it was back then.
A few key features to look out for:
- Precision – Change the aspect ratio, zoom in or out with ease. Correct the colors and cut out any bloopers.
- Chroma key – With Videoleap, it’s easy to remove the background from a video and place yourself somewhere else.
- Special effects – There’s a huge array of effects that can be added, including motion text overlays.
- Cinematic compositions – Videoleap allows you to make your amateur shot video appear much higher quality and add depth through layers.
- Sound editing – There are hundreds of sound effects and the ability to dub over a video’s existing sound.
- In-app tutorials – Many video editing tools are difficult to use, but Videoleap includes mini-tutorials within the app to lower the learning curve.
Conclusion
This is exciting news for Android users who have been at a disadvantage in the social video revolution. They can finally access one of the best tools used by their iOS competitors. With so many Apple users relying on Videoleap, it’s logical to expect Android users to check it out in droves now that it’s available.
The warm embrace Android users have shown Motionleap and FaceTune2 has clearly encouraged Lightricks. Time will tell whether the remaining apps in the company’s product line will make their way to Android in the future.
Videoleap’s Android rollout announcement comes at a crucial moment, with Instagram’s recent strategy shift and the rollout of 5G infrastructure. If Videoleap can establish itself as the best video editing service on Android, it will be hard for other migrating iOS apps to compete.
