If you used Flipgrid for classroom activities, you may have noticed that the familiar website and mobile apps no longer work. Microsoft retired the standalone platform in 2024, leaving many teachers and students wondering what happened to their videos and whether they can still use its recording features.
The short answer is that Flipgrid, later renamed Flip, is no longer available as a standalone app or website. Microsoft moved some of its video recording features into Microsoft Teams for Education. However, Teams does not offer the same experience teachers had with the original platform.
Here is what changed, what remains available, and what teachers can use instead.
What Happened to Flipgrid?
Flipgrid started as an educational platform where teachers could create video discussion topics and invite students to share their responses. Instead of relying entirely on written assignments or classroom discussions, students could record short videos, express their ideas, and respond to their classmates.
Microsoft acquired Flipgrid in 2018 and later renamed it Flip in 2022. The platform continued to serve teachers and students who wanted a simple way to create video-based classroom activities.
In June 2024, Microsoft announced that it would retire the standalone Flip website and mobile apps and move some of their features into Microsoft Teams for Education.
The transition happened in stages:
- July 1, 2024: Flip entered view-only mode. Users could access existing content but could no longer create new Groups, Topics, or videos.
- September 30, 2024: Microsoft retired the standalone website and apps.
- After retirement: The original Flip content was no longer available through the standalone platform.
This change affected teachers who had built lessons, classroom discussions, and student activities around Flip. It also meant that anyone who had not saved their recordings before the shutdown could no longer retrieve them from the old platform.
Is Flipgrid Still Available?
No. The original Flipgrid platform is no longer available as a standalone service. You cannot create new Groups or Topics, record assignments, or manage classroom discussions through the old Flip website or mobile apps.
However, Microsoft retained the Flip camera experience inside Teams for Education. Teachers can still use it to record video assignments and collect student responses.
It is important to understand the difference: Microsoft brought the recording experience into Teams, not the entire original Flip platform.
The familiar camera interface and some editing options remain, but the original discussion features are not fully available. For example, teachers cannot recreate the old experience of organizing classroom conversations around Flip Topics and using features such as Mixtapes in the same way.
So, if you only used Flip to record short videos, Teams may cover some of your needs. If you relied on its interactive discussion environment, you will need another tool.
Can You Still Use Flip in Microsoft Teams?
Yes. Microsoft Teams for Education includes the Flip video recording experience for classroom assignments.
Teachers can create an assignment, add a video recording activity, and ask students to submit their responses. Students can record a video using the familiar Flip camera interface and review their recording before submitting it.
Here is how to access it:
- Open Microsoft Teams for Education and select your class team.
- Create a new assignment.
- Select the option to add a new activity.
- Choose Flip video recording.
- Set up the recording assignment and share it with your students.
Students can then open the assignment, record their responses, and submit them for review.
The main advantage is that teachers who already use Teams do not need to introduce an entirely separate recording platform. They can manage video assignments alongside their other classroom activities.
However, Teams is not a complete replacement for Flip. It does not bring back all the original features that made Flip popular, particularly its dedicated video discussion experience and peer interaction tools.
What Happened to Old Flipgrid Videos?
This is one of the biggest concerns for former Flip users.
Microsoft gave users until September 30, 2024, to access and download their existing videos and other content. After the retirement, those recordings could no longer be retrieved from the original Flip platform.
If you downloaded your videos before the deadline and still have the files saved on your computer or cloud storage, you can upload them to another service.
For example, Padlet offers a Flip importer that can transfer exported Flip discussions into Padlet boards. This can help teachers organize previously saved recordings in a new location.
There are a few things to keep in mind:
- You need an exported copy of your Flip content to use the importer.
- The importer can organize discussion videos into boards.
- Text comments from the original Flip discussions are not included in the export.
- Some exported files may be incomplete, so check your archive before relying on it.
If you never downloaded your recordings and no longer have copies elsewhere, there is no way to recover them directly from the retired Flip service.
What Can You Use Instead of Flipgrid?
Teachers who relied on Flip often need more than a basic video recorder. They want a safe place where students can submit recordings, teachers can review responses, and classmates can interact.
Several platforms can support these activities, although none reproduces every part of the original Flip experience.
1. Padlet
Padlet is one of the closest alternatives for teachers who want video-based classroom discussions. Students can post videos, audio recordings, images, and text on shared boards.
Teachers can manage posting permissions, organize classroom activities, and allow students to comment on one another’s contributions. Its flexible format also makes it useful for group projects and collaborative assignments.
Padlet offers a free plan, but its limits may not be enough for teachers who need several boards or regular classroom use.
2. Screencastify Submit
Screencastify Submit is worth considering when the main goal is collecting student video assignments.
Teachers can share an assignment link and ask students to record and submit their responses. This avoids the hassle of receiving individual video files through email or other channels.
It is particularly useful for short presentations, introductions, and spoken assignments. However, it is not designed to recreate Flip’s full classroom discussion feed.
3. Seesaw
Seesaw is a good option for elementary teachers who want students to share different types of work.
Students can create posts using videos, photos, drawings, and voice recordings. Teachers can review their work and maintain digital portfolios that show their progress over time.
Its focus on student portfolios makes it different from Flip, but it can support many of the same classroom activities.
4. Microsoft Teams for Education
If your school already uses Microsoft’s education tools, Teams is a convenient option for recording and collecting video assignments.
It keeps classroom activities within an existing learning environment, although it does not restore all of Flip’s original discussion features.
5. Formative
Formative is useful when teachers want students to explain their answers through audio, video, or screen sharing.
It works well for assessments, demonstrations, and activities where students need to show how they arrived at an answer. It is more assessment-focused than Flip’s open-ended video discussion format.
6. Nearpod and Kami
Nearpod allows teachers to include voice recording activities in certain interactive lesson slides. Kami supports voice and video comments on learning materials.
Both can help teachers add speaking activities to existing lessons, but neither is a direct replacement for Flip’s dedicated video discussion environment.
Which Flipgrid Alternative Should You Choose?
The right choice depends on how you used Flip in your classroom.
- For video discussions: Padlet is a strong starting point because it supports video posts and comments.
- For collecting student recordings: Screencastify Submit can simplify assignment submissions.
- For elementary classrooms: Seesaw offers a straightforward way to collect videos and other student work.
- For Microsoft schools: Teams can handle video assignments without introducing another platform.
- For assessments: Formative supports spoken and recorded responses.
- For interactive lessons: Nearpod and Kami offer recording and commenting options within classroom activities.
Before choosing a service, check its privacy settings, student account requirements, school compatibility, and free-plan limits. Teachers working with younger students should also confirm that the platform meets their school’s student data and privacy requirements.
Conclusion
Flipgrid’s retirement left a gap for teachers who depended on its simple video discussions, but it did not end the use of video-based classroom activities.
Microsoft Teams still provides the Flip camera for assignments, while platforms such as Padlet, Seesaw, and Screencastify Submit offer other ways to collect and share student recordings.
The important thing is to choose a tool based on what your students need to do. If you only need short video submissions, a simple recording tool may be enough. If your lessons depend on peer responses, classroom discussions, and teacher moderation, look for a platform that supports those activities too.
No single alternative brings back everything Flip offered, so focus on the features that matter most to your teaching rather than trying to recreate the old setup exactly.