Convert and Compress MOV to MP4 (iPhone Videos)

Video compression guides · 5 min read

iPhones record video as .MOV files using either H.264 or Apple's newer HEVC (H.265) codec. Both play fine on Apple devices, but HEVC in particular can be unsupported or clunky on older Windows PCs, some Android phones, and various web upload forms — which is why "convert MOV to MP4" is such a common search. The good news: converting and compressing can happen in the exact same step.

Why iPhone videos are so large

Modern iPhones default to very high bitrates and resolutions (up to 4K at 60fps) to maximize quality for editing later. That's great for footage you plan to edit, but overkill for a clip you just want to text to a friend or upload somewhere — a 30-second 4K MOV can easily be 150-250MB.

Convert + compress in one step

  1. Open Shrynk and drop your .MOV file directly — no need to convert first, the tool reads MOV natively.
  2. Pick a quality preset or target size. The output is always a universally compatible MP4 (H.264 video + AAC audio), regardless of whether your source was H.264 or HEVC.
  3. Download the MP4 — it'll now open correctly on Windows, older Android phones, and any upload form that rejects MOV or HEVC.

How much smaller does it get?

Converting HEVC MOV to H.264 MP4 at the same visual quality can actually increase file size slightly, since HEVC is a more efficient (newer) codec — but the compatibility win is usually worth it. Combined with a "Balanced" CRF setting, most iPhone MOV files still shrink 40-60% even after accounting for the codec change, because the original export bitrate is set conservatively high.

FAQ

Will I lose the Live Photo motion or metadata?

Compressing a standard video export doesn't affect Live Photos (those are a separate format). Standard video metadata like location and timestamp may or may not be preserved depending on your browser's file handling — for guaranteed metadata preservation, use the desktop app.

Why does my MOV file look fine on iPhone but won't open on my PC?

This is almost always the HEVC codec — Windows Media Player and many older apps don't support it natively. Converting to H.264 MP4 fixes this immediately.

Does this work for videos recorded in Slo-Mo or Cinematic mode?

Yes, though very high frame rate Slo-Mo footage (120fps/240fps) will encode more slowly due to the extra frames — this is a good candidate for the desktop app if you're processing a lot of it.

Converting a whole camera roll export of MOV files? The Shrynk desktop app batch-converts and compresses an entire folder at once, for a one-time $29.