How to Remove Audio from a Video on iPhone

Removing audio from a video shot on your iPhone is a useful way to improve the quality of the video, edit together video montages, or share videos while maintaining privacy. The iOS Photos app provides an easy way to mute or delete audio directly on your phone. However, when more granular editing is needed, Apple’s iMovie app provides professional-grade tools right on your iPhone.

While stripping audio is commonly used to eliminate wind noise or background chatter, the creative possibilities expand when combining video-only clips. This guide covers multiple techniques for removing audio from iPhone videos using just the on-device editing apps.

Why Remove Audio from an iPhone Video?

There are several reasons you may want to remove audio from a video filmed on an iPhone. Understanding the benefits helps justify the editing effort:

Eliminate Background Noise and Distortion

The built-in microphone on the iPhone can easily pick up ambient and environmental sounds like wind, traffic noise, crowds, music, echo from walls, and more. This distorts and detracts from the foreground audio that viewers should be focused on. By stripping all audio out, you salvage an otherwise effective video clip without the distraction.

“A sudden gust of wind led to annoying distortion in the original audio track. Removing sound entirely kept the focus on the visuals.”

Create Silent Videos for Social Media Apps

Creative apps like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Triller rely on users editing multiple video clips together with voiceovers or background music tracks. Sourcing pre-made silent video content simplifies the editing process by removing interfering audio waveforms. The iPhone camera roll naturally becomes a go-to source for content creation.

Protect Privacy for Sensitive Conversations

The spread of smartphone recordings has increased concerns over privacy and consent when capturing private conversations. While filming audio can document issues like workplace harassment or seeking healthcare, removing identifiable voices also allows activism without endangering participants. Delete the audio, and suddenly a video can circulate publicly without leaks of private details.

Assemble Montages with Alternating or No Sound

Creative video editing flows easier when working solely with video-only clips. Removing audio track waveforms out of the equation enables mixing and matching visual content without battling disruptive background noise. The iPhone editing apps simplify what used to require pro software.

“I remove audio from all iPhone clips before editing travel montages. Preventing interference between clips made aligning the music and pacing much easier.”

Using the Built-In Photos App for Audio Removal

Fortunately, you don’t need any specialized software downloads to remove audio from an iPhone video. The native editing tools built into iOS and the Photos app allow quick and easy audio removal and track muting right on your phone or tablet.

The main benefits of using Photos for iPhone video audio removal include:

• No app download/install required: Audio editing happens seamlessly within ecosystem
• Easy on-device editing without transfers: Immediate start-to-finish workflow
• Handles short removal needs: Useful for simple trims of audio
• Leverages familiar interface: Lower learning curve than pro editing tools

For quick one-off audio removal on shorter clips, the Photos app may suit most iPhone owners’ needs.

However, there are some downsides to relying solely on Photos:

• Very limited overall editing capabilities beyond audio and some filters
• Lower maximum output quality after compression than iMovie
• Can’t remove audio from videos less than 1 second
• Lacks advanced options like audio fade in/out controls

Step-by-Step Guide to Remove Audio with Photos

Follow these steps to remove audio completely or disable sound in an iPhone video using just the Photos app:

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad
2. Select the original video clip that you want to edit from your camera roll or albums
3. Tap “Edit” (depicted by three sliders) in the upper right corner to launch editing mode
4. Choose the speaker icon below to toggle audio off completely
   • The audio waveform visualization will disappear when fully muted
5. Make any other desired visual edits to the now silent video using tools like:
   • Trim video start/end points
   • Apply filters presets
   • Manually adjust color saturation, warmth, etc.
   • Crop/rotate/straighten video frame
   • Add sticker overlays
6. When finished, **tap “Done” (top right) to finalize changes and save a new version of the video without audio
7. Share the muted video via the Share icon → choose exporting destination

 

Alternative Advanced Method: Using iMovie

As an alternative beyond Photos, Apple’s iMovie app on iPhone/iPad allows removing audio from video clips as part of its expanded professional editing toolset.

While downloading another app introduces extra setup, iMovie unlocks far more advanced audio and video editing powers:

And the features expand far beyond just removing audio:

• Add transitions: fades, wipes, etc.
• Import media from Files, Photos, etc.
• Picture-in-picture, chroma keys, effects
• Manipulate clip speed and direction
• Include graphics, text, titles, credits
• Export up to 4K or 1080p resolution

iMovie takes more time to master but unlocks Hollywood-style editing without needing a PC. Use it for finer audio/video control.

Step-by-Step Guide to Remove Audio with iMovie

Here is a walkthrough for removing iPhone video audio tracks using Apple’s iMovie app:

1. Download and install iMovie if not already available
2. Open iMovie and start a new Project → Movie project
3. Import media from Photos library, Files, etc.
4. Drag clip(s) down to timeline tracks at bottom
   • Video clips occupy the main primary storyline track
   • Audio clips and music fill the secondary audio track
5. Select clip → Tap Detach Audio icon
   • Audio portion greys out when successfully deleted
6. Repeat audio removal on other clips as needed
7. Export final video via Share button → desired quality

Removing Audio from Live Photos and Looping Videos

The same general process applies for removing or muting audio from videos converted from Live Photos or apps like Boomerang:

1. First convert the Live Photo into a standard video format:
   • Open Live Photo in Photos app → Tap Share icon → Save as Video
2. Then apply the audio removal steps from Photos or iMovie above.

Short looping videos output lower quality than normal clips, so expect some generation loss when removing audio and re-exporting a Boomerang-like clip.

Best Practices for Editing and Sharing iPhone Videos

When removing audio and editing iPhone video clips, keep these tips in mind:

Optimize Length for Each Social Platform

Tailor your video’s duration based on where it will be shared:

Platform	Max Length	Example Uses
Instagram Feed	1 minute	Product Demos
Instagram Reels	30 seconds	Comedy Sketches
TikTok	3 minutes	Video Blogs
YouTube Shorts	60 seconds	Quick How-To’s

Avoid Overusing Text and Graphics

Text overlays, animations, stickers, and other graphics can enhance information delivery when used thoughtfully. But excessive visual effects quickly become distracting and amateur. Prioritize clean video framing instead.

Always Preview Before Sharing

View your final rendered video in the Photos app or actual social media platform before distributing publicly. Double check that unwanted artifacts or glitches didn’t appear during the editing process. Audio removal often introduces compression artifacts, so review carefully.

Enlist Advanced Editors If Struggling

Don’t hesitate to enlist help from a professional editor if running into technical difficulties removing iPhone audio or compiling edits. Expert assistance saves headaches when under a deadline. Sites like Fiverr offer affordable video editing services starting under $50.

Follow the best practices above to share stunning iPhone videos sans sound confidently.

Troubleshooting Audio Removal Problems

Frustrating issues can definitely arise when attempting to strip audio from iPhone videos. If running into trouble, try these audio removal troubleshooting tips:

Problem: Audio Waveforms Still Visible

• Ensure you fully toggled off the volume levels in Photos or detached audio in iMovie. Faded waveforms indicate that sound was muted but still exists.
• The share settings may default to including audio – double check that version contains no audio waveforms.

Problem: Audio Suddenly Missing in Middle

• The editing apps likely aren’t at fault. Intermittent missing audio usually indicates a filming problem.
• Check the original clip first before troubleshooting editing tools.

Problem: Severe Quality Loss After Export

• Removing audio can exacerbate quality loss during compressed exports.
• Export using highest quality settings available in the app.
• Re-export the final file in the other app (iMovie → Photos) for better compression.

Problem: Entire Timelines Out of Sync

• Sync issues while editing multiple clips often stem from inconsistent frame rates being intermixed.
• Record all media intended for a project at the same fps to prevent timing drift.

[block:callout] { “type”: “warning”, “title”: “Upgrade to Resolve Bigger Issues”, “body”: “For more complex editing needs like multi-track audio, precision splitting, or color correction – upgrade to Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve app for iOS. The free version packs advanced tools rivaling desktop software.” } [/block]

Expert Insights on iPhone Audio Removal

To close out this guide, here is some advice from professional video editors and content creators on removing audio from iPhone videos:

“I edit a lot of iPhone videos for Instagram and TikTok. Recording audio separately gives more control. Syncing up external audio captures avoids ever needing to strip sound.” – Cheri H., Social Media Producer

“If an original iPhone video has important audio I want to keep, I run a copy through Photos to delete sound for a montage track. That way I retain all the source material.” – Dylan F., Video Editor

“I shoot mostly silent b-roll clips on my iPhone now. Removing audio in post never feels quite right. I capture video-only clips from the start before even filming my main shots.” – Micah L., Independent Filmmaker

The insights from video professionals highlight the value starting with quality silent footage before the editing stage. Yet sometimes compromises come up mid-project – now you have the complete knowledge to seamlessly remove audio from iPhone videos right on the device.

Summary of Removing Audio from iPhone Videos

Here are the key takeaways for removing audio from videos shot on an iPhone covered in this guide:

• The Photos app provides seamless but limited audio removal
• For advanced audio editing, utilize the more robust iMovie toolset
• Remember to export iPhone videos at optimal settings to minimize quality loss
• Troubleshoot issues by verifying source media files first
• Professionals often record device audio separately for better control

Hopefully this guide covered all the techniques, tools, and best practices needed to effortlessly remove audio from iPhone videos. Silencing clips enables all new creative possibilities.

Now dive into your camera roll to reshape old footage without the original distracting sound. Muting audio brings new life. Just tap a few buttons and perform editing that once required expensive software and training. Let your cinematic visions translate seamlessly from idea to screen.