Josh Hendrickson
Hold on to your 15-second videos, TikTok is about to get some real competition in the United States. Instagram started testing its take on the short-form social network service in Brazil last year, and slowly expanded to more markets. Now the service will come to the U.S. in August.
Earlier this month, Facebook killed off its Lasso service, a TikTok competitor that never gained traction. It’s no surprise then that Instagram, which Facebook owns, is hard at work at its take on the concept.
Like TikTok, Instagram Reels aims to make video creation from your phone fast and easy. You can create videos set to a catalog of music, or borrow and remix audio from other user’s videos. Entries are limited to 15-seconds, so creativity is a must.
The company designed Reels as a feature of Instagram Stories, not a standalone product. Users in test countries have pushed for more options, features, and capabilities, leading to one significant change.
Initially, videos would delete themselves (a bit like Snap), and you couldn’t prevent that. Now you can choose to pin them to your profile, so your videos stick around.
According to NBC News, a Facebook spokesperson says Instagram Reels should hit the U.S. and other countries in early August.
via NBC News
