Can no longer edit videos after iOS 17 update

Good Sunday Morning… now Afternoon.

I just spent 2.5 hours with 4 very helpful Apple Support agents on this very topic.  The problem started for me on Nov 15, 2023, when I upgraded an old iPhone SE 2nd generation,  to a new iPhone 14 17.1.2 . Love it .  

The default Camera setting on the iPhone 14 is set to take HDR videos.  An “HDR” icon shows in the top left corner of a HDR video found in your Photo Library.  

HDR = High Dynamic Range and uses up more memory than non-HDR videos.

Copy/ paste….High dynamic range (HDR) video technology is the next great leap forward to reproducing what the naked eye sees in colors and in contrast between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks. HDR video is about recreating image realism from camera through postproduction to distribution and display.

So on my iPhone 14 (iOS 17.1.2)  I can edit the HDR videos no problem.  All is good. Happy, happy. 😊  

My “no edit” problem starts when I send (by iCloud or by Airdrop) a HDR video (created on my iPhone 14) over to my new iPad 9th generation 17.1.2 . When I try to edit any HDR video on my iPad 9 generation 17.1.2, I get a pop up message, “Unable To Edit Video, This video cannot be edited because it is unsupported “.

I never had an edit problem before because I never had a device that could create a HDR videos…. until the iPhone 14 was purchased about 4 weeks ago.  

From my 2.5 hours on the phone with 4 different Apple agents, I can assure you there are no plans to fix the iOS 17 or any future iOS to allow older i-devices to edit HDR videos.  

Rule of thumb, if your i-device doesn’t create HDR video, then you can’t and never will be able to use it to edit HDR videos.

So the 4th Apple Support agent and I created a list of work arounds.  I’ll order them from least expensive , to most expensive.

1. Stop making HDR videos, by switching off HDR, as suggested by the first Apple Support Agent.   In Settings/ Camera/ Formats/ deselect the default High Efficency/ select Most Compatible.   Your next video won’t be created in HDR format.  It won’t fix any videos already shot in HDR.  I tested on my iPhone 14, I selected “Most Compatible”, shot a new (now non-HDR) video, sent the (non-HDR) video to my iPad 9 by Airdrop, and voila, I was now able to edit the (non-HDR) video on my iPad 9.

2. Run the HDR video through Apple’s free iMovie app, available on the App Store.  I suggested and tested this while the Apple Support Agent patiently waited on the phone.  In iMovie app I edited nothing.  It worked.  Path:  Open iMovie app /Start New Project / Movie / select the offending HDR video/ Create Movie/ Done (top left) / Share Icon (bottom of screen)/ Share Video / Save Video.   Video is put back into your Photo Library.  No more HDR logo in the top left.  Video can now be edited on my iPad 9.  It’s like movie laundering 🤣.

3. Buy “Final Cut Pro for iPad” which is Apple Software , available in the APP Store, subscription and fees (unknown) apply.  Same software for Macs is $299 US or $400 CND.  I didn’t test either.  Read reviews in the App Store.

4. Buy an iPad 10.  😱.  Supposedly an iPad 10 can create HDR videos, so you can therefore edit HDR videos on an iPad 10, so say 2 agents at Apple Support.  I have a 4 week Costco return policy on my iPad 9 purchase, so this option will only cost me $200 CND ( $150 US).  Not sure if I will go this route.  

Hope my now 3.5 hours invested in this topic, will helps someone.  😊

In case you missed it above, future iOS revisions will NOT be fixing this issue, according to Apple Support staff.  

Hey y'all, i found a "fix" to this problem.

Unluckly the only thing that seems to work is to restart your iphone (shut it off and turn it back on), on my XR that always does the job, hoping the Apple Devs fix this...

Most welcome WhidbeySounder, 😊, and thanks for posting your comment.

Your kind words help to validate the near 20 hours I spent researching this “can’t edit HDR video” issue, which included two trips to Costco to test on their display iPad 10, phoning friends with iPhones & iPads of different types to see if they had the same issue, and the numerous phone contact with at least 8 Apple Support agents who knew very little about this issue.

I even had a senior Apple Support agent take over my iPad 9 remotely while we talked on the telephone. We ran “can’t edit HDR video” test while creating log files & screen shots which were both collected at the end of the 30 minute call. I was told the log files and screen shots from my iPad 9 were being sent to the Apple iOS software team. There was always the hope (but never a promise) that a new iOS would fix the issue.

Even though I was on a back & forth telephone communication basis with the senior Apple Support agent, plus one 45 minute internet meeting, after the Xmas 2023 & New Year 2024 break, the final word on my long case file came as a short email on Jan 19, 2024… which read …(names removed by me).

Start

Case Number: 102172328552

Hello XXXXXX

Thanks for your patience while we’ve been working on your case. I have updated. 

What you’re experiencing is expected behavior. It was stated that there are certain formats where editing is not supported on the iPad. The iPad does not support HDR editing. 

Regards, XXXXXXX

End

EXPECTED BEHAVIOR 🤬…. are you kidding me …. after all that time spent interacting with numerous Apple Support agents and the answer back is EXPECTED BEHAVIOR. Oh well, it’s great to be retired and have time to invest in projects like this.

Well actually, correction to the email I received: some iPad models, like iPad Air, do support HDR video editing.

I have included my case number above, just in case other Apple Support agents in the future want to look up & validate anything I have typed here.

Never Happened and Wasn’t Expecting A Fix:

In the remote chance this issue was recently fixed by means of an iOS update, today, prior to clicking the “Post” button, I shot a 7 second HDR video on my iPhone 14, and AirDropped it to my iPad 9. Same old , same old “Unable to Edit Video” on my iPad 9. I quickly returned my iPhone 14’s Camera video record setting to the non-HDR setting… as mentioned previously , iPhone 14/ Settings / Camera / Formats / Most Compatible. <—- Best fix 👍 .

In conclusion, on March 21, 2024, when CNN headlines read “Justice Department Sues Apple for Monopolizing Smartphone Markets”, I thought to myself, no other company would market their most recent smartphones (iPhone 14 & 15) products with fantastic HDR (High Dynamic Range) format video capabilities, yet their most recent tablet products ( iPad 9, iPad 10 and many others) could not edit the HDR format video…. and then provide an explanation to consumers (me) of EXPECTED BEHAVIOR. 😊.

Thanks for reading.😎

Only thing worked for me is to hit "Airplane Mode". Turn off wifi, bluetooth and cellular data to stop any syncing. That should let you edit the video.

Same problem here. Just talked to 4 different support staff at apple and no one cares. There is no solution for this problem tried everything (reset, login logout login to iCloud account, restore the whole device with deleting everything and installing back from backup etc.). This is disgusting how apple treats its customers.

what I have found out is, that this problem only appears when you edit a video via photos app. After editing them you can’t transfer them or open them in 3rd party apps it gets stuck on preparing video. The only thing you can do is take back all editing in the photos app and go back to the original video. Then at least you can use the video (transfer it or use it in 3rd party apps).

hello apple! What is the solution here??? Are we customers supposed to do your work and solve this issue for you?

does any one has a solution yet? And yes I updated to the recent version of iOS 17.1.2 unfortunately I updated to 17 I am so angry. I need this fr… phone for business!

Hello DanRoy,

On your iPhone ( you didn’t mention which iPhone) did you try switching off the HDR (High Dynamic Range) video record format? As suggested to me by Apple Help Line & mentioned in my last post, on your iPhone do / Settings / Camera / Formats / select Most Compatible. This should shut off the HDR (High Dynamic Range) video record format which most iPad and (I’m guessing) MacBooks can’t edit. This won’t fix your previous HDR videos but future non-HDR videos will be editable by your device, hopefully.

Try running your previously non-editable HDR videos through Apple’s iMovie App on either your iPhone or MacBook Pro. The output video from iMovie App seems to remove the HDR format, making the video now editable on my iPad, or just do the edits in iMovie App.

Regards 😊

This is a user-to-user forum. The only Apple personnel are here to keep order and supply canned answers to common questions that no volunteer happens to notice.

If you want to contact actual Apple Support personnel, use the "Support" link at the top of bottom of this page.

Dec 14, 2023

Update to my Dec 10, 2023 post in this thread.

I finally found a fantastic Apple Support senior tech agent , who arranged for and completed diagnostic tests today on my iPad 9, in an attempt to see why my iPad 9 could NOT edit an HDR (high dynamic range) video. Results will soon be reviewed by Apple software engineers. Hopefully an iOS revision will fix this issue …. but fix may be slowed by end of year 2023 Holiday Season. This could be January 2024 software iOS fix.

Related to point 4 below, “buy an iPad 10” is NOT a fix … On Dec 12, I tested on an iPad 10, and iPad 10 has the same “Unable to Edit Video” error message when user attempts to edit an HDR type video.

Work-Around Points 1 and 2 in my message below are still valid, but hopefully an iOS software fix comes soon, as a permanent fix, so work-arounds are not needed. 😊

Screen shot example below of error message received after hitting Edit, note HDR tag, top left.

Posting because I’m having the same issue. iPad Pro 12.9” 2nd Gen 512 GB.

Not only stuck on Preparing, but also there is a white exclamation point in a circle and when you click on it it shows “Unable to load video. An error occurred while loading a higher quality version of this video.”

this happens whether I’m trying to edit a video I took with the camera and when I’m trying to edit a video that I downloaded.

17.0.2 - editing like this was part of my regular routine before this last update (to iPadOS 17). Only thing that changed is the OS

Double click on (i) eyes icon and wait 5 seconds preparing video all done

Update to my Dec 10, 2023 post.

No software iOS fix coming. 😿

It seems there are some iPads that will support HDR video editing, perhaps because the iPad Pro’s and iPad AIR’s have the M1 or M2 chip inside. Even an iPad Mini (A15 chip) is on this list.

(First non-Apple link removed by Apple Moderators)

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/109041

Second link above even mentions video record format “Pro Res” available only on Pro versions of iPhone 13, 14, 15 (Pro only). Further down the page is a list of iPads that will edit Pro Res file. This list looks similar to this “can’t edit HDR videos” issue.

I have a friend with an iPad Air could edit my HDR videos taken with my iPhone 14. I could NOT edit the same HDR video with my new iPad 9.

Nevertheless, I now understand , basic iPad 9 with A13 Bionic chip and basic iPad 10 with A14 Bionic chip will never support HDR video editing. 

It appears there is a great need to disseminate this HDR information to Apple Support agents, especially since the default video record format for a new iPhone 14 & 15 is HDR. Even the Apple Senior Technician I as working wth didn’t know this issue existed,… but she does now. !

Easiest Fix

In summary, for me, if I want to iPad 9 edit the videos taken on my iPhone 14, my easiest solution is to switch off HDR video recording on my new iPhone 14, using iPhone’s / Settings / Camera / Formats / select “Most Compatible” which sets the “non-HDR” video recording format.

[Edited by Moderator]

This is exactly true…I own a iPhone XS Max 256GB version,this one was super fast and powerful. immediately after the ios 17 update I’m unable to edit videos in the photos app,like not even a single vid

system Has slowed down so much

apple pls fix this

iPhone and MacBook Pro - all software up to date.

Apple has just given up even trying to let me edit iPhone video.

I edit clip length in Apple Photo. Click "SAVE as New Video". No new file found anywhere.

I open the same clip in Quicktime. Edit length. Click SAVE. I get this error message (Remember, I just edited the clip in Quicktime)...

Hi NeilMack100

Thank you for your response. That's a lot of info.!

What you're describing is WAY too complicated for someone (me!) who just wants to be able to shoot video on my iPhone and then trim it with Apple software on my Apple MBP.

(I have all Apple devices, using Apple codecs and Apple software, and it simply doesn't work.)

I have to admit, the complicated nature of your response further convinces me that Apple has given up on video editing.

I will be exploring non-Apple video editing alternatives. I just want to be able to edit my videos.

Thanks again!