About HOOK 2
This app is supposed to be about sharing short clips from songs, movies, and TV shows with other people. I’m not a young person who’s always on social media but I do love finding new music and talking about old movies. HOOK 2 lets you take a short piece of a song or a scene and send it to friends or post it where other people can see it. It’s like sending a little postcard of something you love. I downloaded it because I saw it mentioned in an article about fun apps for music lovers and I thought why not give it a try. A year later and I still use it a few times a week. But I will say right up front that the app assumes you already know how to do certain things that aren’t always obvious to someone like me who grew up with records not streaming.
Features & Highlights
The biggest feature is making “hooks” which are just short clips you cut from a full song or scene. You pick your piece, trim it down to just the good part, and then you can add a little note or reaction. I love saving hooks from old movies my wife and I watched together — like the opening scene from The Sound of Music or that famous line from Casablanca. The app also lets you follow other users and see what they’re sharing. I found a nice woman named Linda from Florida who shares jazz piano clips every Tuesday morning. That’s become a little routine for me. There’s also a recommendations section that suggests things based on what you’ve already hooked. Sometimes it’s spot on and sometimes it’s way off — it recommended a heavy metal band last week and I don’t know why. But when it works it’s nice. You can link your account to other social media but I don’t bother with that. I just use it inside the app itself.
User Experience
Here’s where I have mixed feelings. The app looks clean enough but some buttons are really tiny and I’ve accidentally shared things before I meant to. The first time I tried to save a hook I ended up posting it publicly and had no idea how to take it down. I had to ask my niece to help me figure it out. The menus aren’t labeled in plain English all the time. There’s one button that just shows three dots and you have to guess what it does. That’s frustrating for somebody who just wants to share a clip of Louis Armstrong without having to hunt around. On the other hand once you learn where everything is it becomes fine. It’s not impossible. It just takes a little patience. I use it on my iPhone 15 Pro and it runs smoothly most days. Once in a while it freezes for a few seconds but it always comes back. I’ve never lost any of my saved hooks so that’s good.
Pricing
HOOK 2 is a paid app. I don’t remember exactly what I paid because it was a year ago but I think it was around four or five dollars. That’s a one time purchase not a subscription which I really appreciate. I hate apps that ask for money every month. There are no hidden charges that I’ve found and you don’t have to buy anything extra to use the main features. For what it does I think the price is fair. You’re not getting a free lunch but you’re also not getting nickel and dimed. My wife complains that I spend too much on apps but she hasn’t said a word about this one so that tells you something.
Updates & Support
There have been a few updates over the year. Sometimes they change how things look and I have to relearn where stuff is. That’s annoying but I understand they’re trying to make it better. One update made the text bigger which helped me a lot. I contacted support once because I couldn’t figure out why my hooks weren’t saving properly. It took them about three days to get back to me which felt long. But when they did reply the person was kind and walked me through the steps. They didn’t use a lot of technical jargon. They just said “go here and press this” and that fixed it. I appreciated that. If they could answer faster it would be a solid five stars for support.
Security & Privacy
I don’t know much about security but I do worry about who sees my stuff. The app asks for your email to sign up and you can set your profile to private so only people you approve can see your hooks. I have mine set to private and I’ve never had any weird messages or anything. The app doesn’t ask for your location or contacts which I like. I’m not giving it permission to anything on my phone except notifications. I haven’t heard about any data breaches or scandals with this app so I assume it’s fine. My niece who knows about computers said it looks safe enough and that’s good enough for me.
How do I create and share a 'hook' from a song or movie scene in HOOK 2?
To create a hook, select a song or scene, then trim it to your desired short clip. You can add a note or reaction before sharing it with friends or posting it publicly within the app.
Can I follow other users and see their shared hooks in HOOK 2?
Yes, HOOK 2 lets you follow other users to see what they're sharing, like jazz piano clips every Tuesday from a user named Linda. You can also browse a recommendations section that suggests hooks based on your activity.
I accidentally shared a hook publicly instead of saving it privately. How do I remove it?
To delete an accidentally shared hook, look for the three-dot menu on the post and select the option to remove or delete it. If you can't find it, check the app's settings or help section, as menus aren't always labeled clearly.
Why does HOOK 2 sometimes freeze on my iPhone 15 Pro, and will I lose my saved hooks?
HOOK 2 may freeze for a few seconds occasionally, but it usually recovers on its own. You won't lose any saved hooks during these freezes, as the app reliably preserves your clips.
How does HOOK 2 compare to other music clip sharing apps like TikTok or Instagram?
Unlike TikTok or Instagram, HOOK 2 focuses solely on sharing short clips from songs, movies, and TV shows without the pressure of social media trends. It's a one-time purchase for about $4-5 with no subscription, making it simpler and more affordable for casual sharing.
