Twitter and Vine today announced that (1) Vine is now available for iOS devices and (2) has been purchased by Twitter. If you hadn't heard of Vine before today, we're not too surprised -- it's been in limited beta testing until now, and it's not available for Android. But, seeing as how all roads (eventually) lead to Android these days, we're taking a quick look at it here.
The oversimplified version is that Vine is to video what Instagram is to pictures. In actuality, it's a fairly simple app that lets you take up to 6 seconds of video that might well be mistaken for a really good animated gif. It doesn't have to be 6 consecutive seconds, though. You can do two 3-second clips strung together. Or three 2-second clips. Or, if you hate your friends, six 1-second clips.
You're going to start seeing a lot of these, even if there's no Android app.
Rene reviewed how Vine for iPhone works (or doesn't) over on iMore. More of my thoughts, after the break.
So, some thoughts on Vine and how it pertains to Android at the moment, because you're going to see these in your Twitter streams:
- The videos play back very nicely in the app and in a full web browser. No reason they shouldn't, right? But I can't get the Vine videos to play back in the Chrome Android browser. (And Twitter not-so-conveniently makes it a pain in the ass to not use its mobile site.)
- You can, however, get a Vine video to play in the official Twitter app, but for some reason I have to wait 20 seconds for a 6-second video to load. No bueno.
- But whereas a still image is worth 1,000 words, six seconds of video seems to more like an illustration. For sure we'll see some important 6-second clips at some point. But that's pretty limiting as a video format.
- Good luck sharing your Vine video if you didn't properly Tweet it out the first time. My first test was of bacon frying. Only place you can see it is on the Vine app because for some reason the Tweet didn't go out. There's no option to share post-publication. Instead, you get my dog.
- The social features are still pretty wonky. Searching for Vine users among my Twitter friends omits some pretty obvious returns -- but I have the feeling it's just slow to work those APIs. Certainly nothing that can't be fixed.
So there's some work to be done, still, particularly in regards to viewing videos outside of iOS. Shocker, right? But now you're better prepared for the big bad world out there, and for when it comes to Android later.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Review: Caseology’s Nano Pop is the best slim but sturdy Galaxy S21 case
There’s a mountain of Galaxy S21 cases out there for you to choose from, but Caseology finally brought over one of its iPhone-only series and it is 100% worth your attention and money. Make the S21 pop with bold colors and soft but secure grip.

How Google could improve Android apps for everyone, according to devs
When Android 12 finally arrives this fall, we want our favorite apps to be ready for it. There are a few ways Google could help make that happen.

Google Pixel 4a review, 6 months later: Still the best camera under $400
It turns out Google's "less is more" approach really fits well within the constraints of a less-expensive phone, and its strengths in software and camera processing stand out against less-refined competition. The Pixel 4a picks up right where the 3a left off, with better specs, the same great camera, and a $50 lower price.

These photo printers make it easy to print from your Android phone
Do you want to be able to print photos directly from your Android phone? Well, now it's easier than ever and we have found the best photo printers to choose from in 2021.