Support

Resolution, frame rate, and color (including HDR) stay untouched — only the excessive bitrate is reduced, so the difference is hard to notice in normal viewing. Before replacing, you can judge for yourself in the comparison player (side-by-side, top-bottom, or slider).

It varies. Videos recorded at high bitrates (like 4K/60fps on recent iPhones) shrink the most, while already efficient videos save less. LeanVid shows an estimated savings range before you start, so you can pick the videos with the biggest impact first.

Results are saved as HEVC (H.265) .mov files, named after the original with a trailing underscore (e.g. IMG_1234_.mov). Capture date, location, favorite status, and album membership are kept, and trims made in the Photos app are preserved whenever possible.

Videos already encoded at a low bitrate have little room left to shrink. LeanVid only allows a replacement when the result is smaller than the original, so a replacement never makes a video larger.

The app never deletes anything on its own. A result becomes eligible for replacement only after passing integrity verification, and the actual deletion happens only when you approve the iOS system confirmation dialog. Even then, deleted originals stay in the Photos app's Recently Deleted for 30 days.

Yes. Originals deleted by a replacement are kept for 30 days in Photos → Albums → Recently Deleted, where you can restore them anytime. After 30 days the system removes them permanently.

Five independent checks run before any replacement — ① the result plays back correctly ② the track layout (video, audio, and more) matches the original ③ color information is preserved ④ the duration matches the original ⑤ the file actually got smaller. If any check fails, no replacement happens.

Your originals are safe. Replacement only begins after every result is fully created, and a recovery journal safely rolls back or resumes interrupted work. Reopen the app and it either continues or rolls back cleanly; completed items remain in History.

While replaced originals sit in Recently Deleted for 30 days, the space may not be reclaimed right away. To free it immediately, permanently delete those videos in Photos → Albums → Recently Deleted.

If the original only exists in iCloud, LeanVid downloads it automatically before compressing. You can choose whether cellular data is used under Settings → Download network. Once replaced, the reduced size is reflected in your iCloud storage usage as well.

No — LeanVid is video-only. Videos usually take up most of a library's space, so focusing on them delivers the biggest storage savings.

Two reasons: ① sorting your library by size requires scanning the whole library, and ② replacing originals with verified results requires write access to the library. The 'Selected Photos' permission can do neither.

No. Compression, verification, and replacement all happen on your device, and your videos are never uploaded to us or any third party. The only network use for your media is iOS downloading your own iCloud videos at your request. The app does show ads and use analytics to keep improving — see the Privacy Policy for details.

On iOS 26 and later, with 'Keep Compressing in Background' on (the default), the system keeps compressing after you leave and shows a system progress card. On earlier versions, compression pauses when you leave and resumes automatically when you return. In either case, if the system pauses the work due to heat or other device conditions, it stops safely at that point — return to the app and tap 'Continue' to pick up right where it left off.

LeanVid uses the device's hardware encoder for efficiency, but processing large videos back-to-back can generate heat. iOS regulates the work based on device conditions; running it while charging is the most comfortable.

Yes — every feature is currently free, with no limits. The app is supported by ads.