Burst turns burst photos, Live Photos, and short videos from your library into looping GIFs and MP4s, right on your iPhone. If something isn't working or you're not sure how a feature behaves, the answers below cover the most common questions — and email always works.
Getting started
How do I take a burst photo?
In the iPhone Camera app, slide the shutter button to the left and hold (on older iPhones, press and hold the shutter). You'll get a rapid sequence of photos — that whole sequence shows up in Burst as a single item, ready to animate.
My photo library looks empty in Burst
Burst shows only things it can animate: burst photos, Live Photos, and videos. If you have those and still see nothing, check photo access: open the iPhone Settings app → Apps → Burst, and set Photos access to Full Access (or add the items you want under Limited Access).
Can I use videos or Live Photos, not just bursts?
Yes. Both appear in the grid alongside bursts. Videos are sampled into frames (up to 100, spread across the clip) and loop just like a burst does.
Making loops
What do Forward, Reverse, and Bounce mean?
They're loop styles. Forward plays the frames in order and repeats, Reverse plays them backwards, and Bounce plays forward then backward — good for motion that would otherwise jump when the loop restarts.
What does Steady do?
Steady (a Pro feature) removes handheld camera shake by aligning the frames to a smoothed camera path, then cropping away the moving edges. It suits clips where the camera wobbled; if your clip was already still, you may not see a difference.
Which quality should I export at?
Small keeps GIFs to a couple of megabytes — best for chat apps. Standard (1080px) suits most sharing. High and Max trade bigger files for more detail; the size estimate under each option updates for the clip you have open.
Burst Pro and purchases
What does Burst Pro include?
Watermark-free exports, your choice of export quality up to Max resolution, video (MP4) export, and Steady stabilization. It's a single one-time purchase — there is no subscription.
I bought Pro but it isn't active
Tap any control marked (Pro), then choose Restore Purchases on the sheet that appears. Make sure you're signed in with the same Apple Account you bought Pro with. If it still doesn't unlock, email us — receipts make it quick to sort out.
Do free exports really stay free?
Yes. The free tier exports unlimited GIFs at 720px with a small corner watermark — that never runs out and never expires.
iMessage extension
How do I send a loop inside Messages?
In a conversation, tap the + (or the apps strip), choose Burst, and tap any item — the GIF is built and attached to the message field, ready to send.
Contact
Found a bug, hit something confusing, or have a feature you'd like? Email burst@otaku-dev.co.uk and we'll get back to you quickly. Including your iPhone model and iOS version helps.
Email supportPrivacy
Burst collects no data at all — everything happens on your device. Read the full privacy policy.