The best Boomerang apps in 2026
Looping, back-and-forth moving pictures on iPhone · Updated
Instagram pulled its standalone Boomerang app from the App Store and Google Play in March 2022, so "Boomerang" now means either the mode inside Instagram or one of the apps that make the same kind of forward-and-backward loop. These are the best ways to make one on an iPhone in 2026.
1. PHHHOTOS - REVIVED: best for loops with a look
A free camera built only for moving pictures. One tap shoots a 5-frame burst and plays it back and forth, the flip-book style PHHHOTO made in 2014, a year before Boomerang. About 30 filters (several animated), film looks like AERO and CINE, RAW frames with no Apple processing, TXT captions baked into the loop, and tricks like ZZZOOM, LIGHTPAINT and TIMESPLIT. Loops save as GIF or MP4 and live on a feed of friends and on the web. No ads, no subscription. The catch: it is invite only and not on the App Store (it installs with SideStore), and it is iPhone only. All the features.
2. Instagram: best if you're posting to Stories anyway
Boomerang lives on as a mode in Instagram's Stories camera: it records a short burst and plays it forward and backward. It's free and already on most phones. The catch: it's built for Stories, with few controls and no filters made for loops, and you need an Instagram account.
3. Live Photos: best built-in option
Every iPhone camera takes Live Photos, and in the Photos app you can set one to Bounce (forward and backward) or Loop. Nothing to install, and it works on photos you took before you thought of it. The catch: no filters or captions, and the clip is only as long as the Live Photo.
4. Boomerang - Video Maker: best for turning old videos into loops
An App Store app by Video Bakery that turns any video or Live Photo into a boomerang, with speed control, filters and high-resolution saving. The catch: free to download, but the full set of features is a paid upgrade.
5. CapCut: best if you edit video already
The free video editor can make a boomerang from any clip by playing it forward then in reverse, and has boomerang templates for Live Photos. The catch: it takes several steps where the others take one tap.
Which one to pick
- You want loops that look like something, with filters and a feed: PHHHOTOS - REVIVED.
- You're posting a quick Story: Instagram.
- You don't want another app: Live Photos with Bounce.
- You have a video already: Boomerang - Video Maker or CapCut.
Questions
What is the best Boomerang app in 2026?
For loops with filters, RAW, captions and a feed of friends, PHHHOTOS - REVIVED, a free iPhone remake of PHHHOTO. For a quick Story, the Boomerang mode in Instagram. With no app at all, an iPhone Live Photo set to Bounce.
Is the Boomerang app still available?
No. Instagram removed the standalone Boomerang app from the App Store and Google Play in March 2022. Boomerang is still a mode in Instagram's Stories camera.
How do I make a Boomerang on iPhone without Instagram?
Take a Live Photo and set it to Bounce in the Photos app, or use a looping camera app such as PHHHOTOS - REVIVED, which turns one tap into a back-and-forth loop you can save as a GIF or MP4.
Is there a free Boomerang app with no ads?
PHHHOTOS - REVIVED is free with no ads or subscription. It is invite only for now and installs with SideStore.
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