iOS 18 RC offers the ability to pause video recordings in the Camera app

During its iPhone 16 event today, Apple showcased some of the iPhone 16's updated camera features. One of these features included in-flight pausing and resuming of videos shot using the stock Camera app. Unlike the new camera control feature, which is exclusive to the iPhone 16 lineup, pausing videos is available on older iPhones running iOS 18 RC. This addition makes it possible to make jump cuts between scenes within the same video file.

When you record a video in the Camera app on iOS 18 RC, you'll see a new pause button at the bottom left. Tapping this button will temporarily pause the video recording, while tapping again will resume it.

While the video is paused, a “PAUSE” indicator will appear at the top of the interface, just below the recording time. In addition, the pause button will turn into a record button to indicate that recording will resume when pressed.

This feature opens up some creative possibilities, but the most obvious use case is the ability to create simple jump cuts within the same video, eliminating the need to edit the cuts together after the fact. By pausing a video and changing the frame, you perform the editing while during the shoot rather than afterward. This could significantly reduce the editing time for rough videos shot with iOS 18's standard camera app.

To take it a step further, it's possible to switch between lenses while pausing, allowing you to do more dramatic zooms where you switch between focal lengths instantly. As I said, this opens up some fun, creative possibilities with iOS 18, and you don't even need the new iPhone 16 hardware to try it out.

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