If you went looking for the iCloud Link route for a big video and could not find it, Apple's own documentation is not consistent about it either. The iOS 27 version of the User Guide page that covers this still names iCloud in its opening sentence, while the body of that same page only walks through AirDrop and Mail Drop. The iOS 26 version of the same article does carry a full iCloud Link section.
Both versions are live on Apple's site, so this is something you can check yourself in two clicks rather than take on trust.
What the two versions of Apple's page actually say
The page is "Share long videos on iPhone" in the iPhone User Guide. Its iOS 27 version opens like this:
"Some long video files are too large to send in a standard text message. You can use AirDrop, iCloud, or Mail Drop to send long videos that you record with your iPhone camera."
Three routes are named in that sentence: AirDrop, iCloud, Mail Drop. The body of that iOS 27 page then covers two of them — sending a video using AirDrop, and sending a video using Mail Drop. There is no iCloud Link section on it.
Open the iOS 26 version of the same article and that section is present, headed "Send a video using an iCloud Link", with two lines worth keeping:
"An iCloud Link is a URL that you can use to send a large video with Messages or Mail."
"Recipients have 30 days to download a video sent with an iCloud Link."
Read that as a documentation difference, not as an announcement. Neither page states that the route was withdrawn, so the accurate description is narrow: the step-by-step instructions appear on the iOS 26 version of the article and not on the iOS 27 version, and the iOS 27 intro still lists iCloud among three options. If the option is not where you expect it on your device, check the official documentation for the current behaviour rather than assuming either way.
The same shift shows up in the share sheet page
There is a second Apple page where the wording moved in the same direction, and this one changes what you can actually send.
The User Guide's "Share photos and videos on iPhone" page describes the All Photos Data switch. In the iOS 27 version:
"Send all photo data: Turn on All Photos Data to share the original file with edit history and metadata; the recipient can view and modify the current version (available with AirDrop only)."
In the iOS 26 version, the same sentence ends differently:
"Send all photo data: Turn on All Photos Data to share the original file with edit history and metadata; the recipient can view and modify the current version (available with AirDrop and iCloud links only)."
One says "AirDrop only". The other says "AirDrop and iCloud links only". If you have been sending originals through an iCloud Link and quoting a support page to justify it, note which version of the page you are quoting.
The long-video page explains why that switch matters at all: "If you want to send the video in its original format, including metadata, location, and any associated edit history or captions, tap Options, then turn on All Photos Data."
One more small divergence in the same part of the share sheet, worth knowing before you go hunting for a toggle that your version may not list: the iOS 26 page says "Turn off location data: Turn off Location," while the iOS 27 page says "Don't share keywords: Turn off Keywords." Each version documents one of those, not both.
The fastest fix when the goal was just "the file is too big"
Most people reach for an iCloud Link for one reason: the clip will not fit through the thing they are trying to send it with. Apple is explicit that the ceiling is not its own — the share page carries this note: "Note: The size limit of attachments is determined by your service provider."
That is why shrinking the file is the move that survives a documentation change. A smaller video fits through more routes, needs no link at all, and does not depend on which section a support page happens to carry this year.
Try it right here
Runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded anywhere.
This runs inside your browser tab: the file is read from disk, re-encoded locally, and handed back, so nothing is uploaded on the way to fixing an upload problem. If you want more control over resolution and bitrate, the standalone compress video tool has the full settings, and the rest of the browser tools are at all Clapr tools.
For scale: the one per-minute figure Apple publishes lives in the iOS 18 spatial video page — "One minute of spatial video is approximately 130 MB (one minute of regular 1080p 30 fps video is approximately 65 MB)." Both numbers are scoped to 1080p at 30 fps, and both keep Apple's "approximately".
The two routes the iOS 27 page does document
AirDrop. Apple documents two different ways to open up the receiving end, and they are not the same route. The long-video page says: "On iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > General > AirDrop, then tap Everyone for 10 Minutes." Apple's AirDrop support article sends you through Control Center instead: "Ask the other person to open Control Center on their device and do this: Touch and hold the connectivity controls, tap AirDrop, and tap Everyone for 10 Minutes." Both are Apple's own instructions — use whichever matches what you see.
Mail Drop. Apple's Mail Drop page gives the hard numbers: "With Mail Drop, you can send attachments up to 5 GB in size." Also from that page — "All files types are supported and attachments don't count against your iCloud storage," and "After you send an email, the recipients have 30 days to download the Mail Drop attachments." The catch is on the other end: "The recipient's email app might have a smaller message size limit that prevents the attachment from being delivered." The details are in iPhone Mail Drop limits.
How to tell it worked
If you compressed instead, check the file size on disk before you send — that is the number every provider in the chain measures. If you used Mail Drop, the recipient's 30-day download window starts when you send, per Apple's page above. If you used an iCloud Link on a device where that option exists, the iOS 26 page gives the same 30-day window for the recipient.
FAQ
Did Apple remove the Copy iCloud Link option in iOS 27? That is not something either page states. What is checkable is that the iOS 26 version of Apple's "Share long videos on iPhone" article documents an iCloud Link section and the iOS 27 version does not, while the iOS 27 intro still names iCloud as one of three routes. For what your device does right now, check the official documentation.
How long does an iCloud Link last? The iOS 26 version of the page says: "Recipients have 30 days to download a video sent with an iCloud Link." Apple's Mail Drop page gives the same 30-day download window for Mail Drop attachments.
Can I still send the original file with all its metadata? The iOS 27 share page describes All Photos Data as "available with AirDrop only"; the iOS 26 version of the same sentence reads "available with AirDrop and iCloud links only". Either way the switch is in the same place — tap Options in the share sheet, then turn on All Photos Data.
What is the maximum attachment size on iPhone? Apple does not set one. The User Guide's answer is "Note: The size limit of attachments is determined by your service provider." Mail Drop is the exception Apple does put a number on, at up to 5 GB per attachment.
Is there a limit on how many times a link can be downloaded? Apple's Mail Drop page mentions "an excessive amount of downloads or high traffic" without stating a count. For a firm number, check the official documentation.
Quotes above are from Apple's iPhone User Guide and support articles, with the iOS version noted for each. Apple revises these pages — open the version that matches your iOS before relying on them. More troubleshooting write-ups in the fix hub.
