X rolls out built-in video tools on iOS to curb stolen clips

X is deploying a new in-app video recorder and editor within its iOS application as part of ongoing efforts to foster fresh material on the service.

X identifies widespread video theft by top accounts. Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, reported in a Monday post that top accounts routinely lift clips from others, sometimes five years after the material first gained traction. According to Bier, video posts account for nearly half of all impressions across X. The executive linked the practice to persistent recycled material that leaves the platform short on unique offerings.

New tools aim to boost originality. The company introduced the editor and recorder specifically to tackle this recycled content, with the stated goal that certain clips on X will at last qualify as original work unavailable elsewhere. Features encompass multilingual caption overlays plus a green-screen mode that lets users insert backgrounds pulled from their own posts or camera-roll images. Footage shared in Bier’s update demonstrates trimming controls along with automatic caption creation.

Green screen feature mirrors competitors. Resulting green-screen clips bear a strong resemblance to formats already common on Instagram and TikTok. The video tools went live Monday inside X’s iOS app, as previously reported by TechCrunch. They represent the platform’s newest initiative aimed at spurring users to upload material created by themselves.

Crackdown on content gaming continues. During May, Bier disclosed that his group had uncovered multiple high-profile accounts systematically reposting others’ work to manipulate X’s revenue-sharing system. The response involved redirecting impressions generated by those uploads back to the rightful originators. In April the service moved to reduce payments directed at aggregators responsible for stolen reposts and clickbait headlines.

Original creators gain promotion edge. While unveiling the editor and recorder, Bier stated that accounts avoiding recycled posts will rise more quickly than others. The steps form part of a sustained drive to realign rewards on the network. X has offered no timetable for bringing the features to Android devices.