Exporting makes an ordinary video file out of a whole Tape and saves it into your Photos library. From there it behaves like any other video: you can share it, AirDrop it, copy it to a computer, or back it up with everything else.
It happens in two steps. Prepare builds the single video file, which takes some time. Export to Photos copies that finished file across, which is quick.
Exporting a Tape
Press and hold the Tape, or open the three-dot menu while watching it.
Choose Prepare Tape, then pick With Timestamp or Without Timestamp.
With Timestamp draws the filming date permanently into the video. See The date stamp on your Tapes.
Wait while it prepares.
A percentage appears on the Tape's card. You can carry on using the rest of the app, and even leave Videflo for a while.
When it says Tape Ready, choose Export to Photos.
The first time, iOS asks permission to add to your library.
The video appears in Photos, in your Recents.
Why there's a Prepare step
A Tape isn't a single file on disk — it's your original recordings, played back as one continuous piece. That's what keeps your footage safe and untouched, but it means there's no ready-made file to hand to Photos.
Prepare builds that file once. After it's built, exporting the same Tape again is instant, because the work is already done.
Your originals are never touched
Preparing creates a brand-new copy. Every original recording stays exactly as it was, whatever happens during the export.
The labels you'll see on a Tape
- A percentage
- Preparation is running. Real progress, not an estimate. Cancel Preparation appears in the menu while it does.
- Tape Ready
- A prepared file exists and Export to Photos will be quick.
- Tape Changed
- You've added, trimmed, or deleted a recording since preparing. The prepared file is now out of date — choose Prepare Again for an export that includes the change.
- Preparation Failed
- Something went wrong, most often storage. Free some space and try again; nothing was lost.
Leaving the app while it prepares
Preparation keeps going for a while after you switch away, but iOS eventually suspends it. If that happens the Tape is shown as interrupted when you come back, and one tap on Prepare Again restarts it. Nothing is corrupted, and no partial file is left behind.
For a long Tape, the reliable approach is to start it, leave Videflo on screen, and put the phone on a charger.
Tips
Check your free space first. The prepared file is roughly as large as all the recordings in the Tape put together, and it needs to exist alongside them.
Once a Tape is exported, you can delete the prepared copy from the Tape's menu to get that space back. Your recordings stay untouched and you can prepare again whenever you like.
Preparing a long 4K Tape can take a good while. Plug in and start it before you make a cup of tea.
Exporting is the single best way to protect an irreplaceable Tape, because the copy in Photos is included in your normal iPhone backup.
Common mistakes
Looking for an Export button without preparing first.
Export to Photos only appears once the Tape says Tape Ready. Prepare it first — that's the step that builds the file.
Exporting, then adding another recording, then wondering why the file in Photos is missing it.
An exported file is a snapshot. The Tape will now say Tape Changed — prepare and export again to get a fresh copy.
Starting a big export with almost no free storage.
Preparation needs room for the whole new file. Free up space first, or the export will fail part way through.
Troubleshooting
Preparation fails every time.
- Free up storage — this is by far the most common cause.
- Switch off Low Power Mode.
- Keep Videflo on screen with the phone plugged in and try again.
- If one particular Tape always fails, check Manage Recordings for a recording whose file is missing.
It says Videflo can't save to Photos.
- Check Settings → Videflo → Photos allows adding to your library.
- Make sure there's room in your photo library — the exported video needs space of its own.
The export finished but I can't find the video.
- Open Photos and look in Recents — it's added with today's date.
- Check Albums → Videos.
- If your library is very large, sort Recents by newest first.
Frequently asked
Does exporting reduce the quality?
No. The exported file keeps the quality the Tape was filmed at.
Can I export to Files instead of Photos?
Videflo saves to Photos. Once it's there you can share it into Files, AirDrop it, or copy it to a computer using the Photos app's own share options.
Can I export just part of a Tape?
Exporting a Tape always covers the whole thing. To get one piece on its own, open **Manage Recordings** and export that single recording.
Does deleting the prepared copy delete my Tape?
No. It removes only the export-ready file. Every original recording stays safe and playable, and you can prepare again at any time.
Related articles
Saving one recording to Photos
Getting a single piece out of a Tape without exporting the whole thing.
Sharing a Tape with someone
How to send a memory to family — and why it goes through Photos rather than Videflo.
How much space Tapes use, and how to free some up
Where the gigabytes go, what's safe to delete, and what the low-storage warning means.
Did this answer your question?
If not, write to us — a person reads every message. Please include your iPhone model, your iOS version, and what you were doing when the problem happened.