Viddy, looking to boost users, rolls out major iPhone app update

Viddy, a Venice, Calif., developer of the namesake short-video sharing app, has redesigned the app for the iPhone, adding several new features that users may enjoy.

The updated app, also available for iPod Touch and available for download now from the Apple App Store, is the latest effort by the struggling Silicon Beach startup to boost users.

In early February, amid a drop in user traffic, Viddy fired its co-founder Brett O’Brien. That was followed last week with Viddy’s board announcing it had laid off about a third of the staff. The changes, including the app redesign, have come as more and more companies, including Twitter, enter the short-video app market..

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Among the changes to the app are a new user interface and the ability to create videos up to 30 seconds long. Previously, users were limited to 15-second videos. Viddy has now also added an “Explore� section that lets users find others’ videos based off trending hashtags and clips that have been curated by the app.

The revamped app also gives users more ways to edit their videos. Viddy has added 15 more photo filters to enhance the look of the clip, and it has also added eight more audio tracks. The app has a pause and resume ability to its recording feature, making it easier for users to shoot and edit together different clips. The video’s frame rate can also be adjusted.

“The social mobile video space is still in its very early days, and we’re focused on innovating and building the best product for people to create, share and discover video content,� said JJ Aguhob, Viddy co-founder and president, in a statement.

No word on when a similar redesign will come to the Android version of the Viddy app.

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