Skip to main content
boomerang.video

Free · runs in your browser

How to make a boomerang on Android

Samsung phones can bounce a motion photo in Gallery. On every Android phone, Chrome can turn any video into a boomerang without installing anything.

Drop a clip to bounceChoose a clip to bounce

Pick the moment, watch it play forwards and back, then save an MP4, GIF or WebP. Nothing is uploaded.Pick a video from your photos or files. Short clips work best.

Works with MP4MOVWebMMKVand more

Your clip is bounced on this device and never uploaded.

On Android, the built-in boomerang depends on the phone. Recent Samsung Galaxy phones can play a motion photo as a Boomerang in the Gallery app; Google Photos and the Pixel Camera have no boomerang or bounce effect. On any Android phone, you can make one from a video in Chrome: open this site, choose the clip, pick the moment and export.

The Chrome route also works for clips that were never motion photos: something you filmed last month, a screen recording, or a video from a group chat. It saves an MP4 or GIF to the phone, and the share sheet can send it straight to Instagram, WhatsApp or TikTok. iPhone owners have a different built-in option, covered in the iPhone guide.

Make a boomerang from any video in Chrome

  1. Open boomerang.video in Chrome

    Tap Choose a video and pick a clip from Photos or Files, or tap Record with camera to film a few seconds.

  2. Pick the moment

    Drag the window on the strip under the preview to the movement, and drag its edges to trim it.

  3. Choose a style and shape

    Tap Classic, Slow-mo, Echo, Rewind or Stutter, and set Shape to 9:16 for Stories and Reels.

    The editor on a phone-sized screen with the Slow-mo style selected and the preview playing the way back (enlarge image)

    Slow-mo chosen on a phone. Export boomerang stays within thumb reach.

  4. Export and share

    Tap Export boomerang, then Share or save to Photos to send it to an app, or Download MP4 to keep it in Downloads.

Samsung Galaxy: the Boomerang effect for motion photos

Samsung’s own support pages describe effects for motion photos, the Galaxy equivalent of a Live Photo, in the Gallery app:

  1. Open Gallery and open a motion photo.
  2. Tap View motion photo.
  3. Open the drop-down menu in the top-right corner and choose Boomerang (other effects such as Slow-mo are in the same list).

To keep a copy, Samsung Community posts describe More → Export, which can save the motion photo as a Video or a GIF. Menu names vary between One UI versions and models, so if yours differs, the Chrome route above works on every Galaxy phone.

Motion photo needs to be switched on in the Camera app before you shoot; it records a few seconds around the moment you take the picture.

Google Photos and Pixel phones

Google Photos has no boomerang or bounce effect. Its Animation option (under Create new) strings several photos into a quick animation, and Google notes you can’t change its speed. A Pixel motion photo can be exported as a video, but it plays forwards only.

So on a Pixel, the practical ways are the Instagram Story camera for new moments, or this site for anything already on the phone.

Android tips for a better boomerang

  • Brace the phone against something. Shake is doubled when the clip plays back.
  • Film at 60 fps if your camera offers it, for smoother Slow-mo.
  • Keep the action in the middle of the frame so a 9:16 or 1:1 crop doesn’t cut it off.
  • On a phone with little memory, keep the moment short; very long, high-resolution moments use more memory while the preview is built.

Android boomerang questions

Is there a boomerang mode in the Android camera?

Not as a general Android feature. Samsung Galaxy phones offer a Boomerang effect for motion photos in Gallery; other phones rely on apps. Instagram’s Story camera has a Boomerang mode on every Android phone.

Can Google Photos make a boomerang?

No. Google Photos can make animations from several photos and export a motion photo as a forward-only video, but it has no bounce effect.

Do I need to install an app?

No. This site runs in Chrome, Samsung Internet, Firefox or Edge on Android. Nothing is installed and the video isn’t uploaded.

Where does the boomerang save on Android?

Download MP4 saves it to the Downloads folder. Share or save to Photos opens the share sheet, from which you can choose Photos, Gallery or another app.

Can I make a boomerang from a Samsung motion photo here?

Yes, once it’s a video. Export the motion photo as a Video from Gallery, then open that video here to choose the exact moment and style.