Google is preparing to bring YouTube Create to iOS devices nearly two years after the video editing app launched exclusively on Android. Job listings reviewed by TechCrunch reveal the company is actively hiring engineers in India for the iOS development project.
The job postings show Google is recruiting software engineers in Bengaluru specifically to build the iOS version. The original Android app debuted in the U.S. and seven other markets in September 2023, then expanded to 13 more markets by February 2024.
YouTube Create provides free mobile video editing tools designed for content creators, offering features like stickers, GIFs, and effects for both YouTube Shorts and longer-form videos. Google developed the app after consulting with 3,000 creators to ensure it met their needs.
The app is Google’s attempt to compete with ByteDance’s popular CapCut editor. But exclusive Sensor Tower data shared with TechCrunch shows YouTube Create is quite far behind CapCut and another established competitor, InShot.
The competition isn’t even close. In the second quarter of this year, CapCut and InShot have been downloaded 66 million and 21 million times, respectively, on Android devices. In contrast, YouTube Create has seen fewer than 500,000 downloads this quarter, and just 4 million downloads since its launch.
The user engagement gap is even more pronounced. CapCut boasts more than 442 million monthly active users on Android app in Q2, while InShot claims 92 million. YouTube Create lags far behind with fewer than one million monthly active users.
Image Credits:Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch
On iOS — the platform YouTube Create is now targeting — the competition is just as fierce. CapCut leads with 194 million monthly active users in Q2, followed by InShot with 25 million. Meanwhile, CapCut and Instagram’s Edit have dominated iOS downloads this quarter, with 28 million and 7 million downloads, respectively.
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Despite lagging in the numbers, YouTube Create shows some momentum, with a 28% year-over-year increase in monthly active users in Q2, outpacing a 9% rise for CapCut and a 7% decline for InShot, per the Sensor Tower data.
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