Facebook Unveils Instagram Reels: 15-Second Creative Videos to Rival TikTok
Facebook today announced Instagram Reels, a challenge to TikTok that lets users record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and creative tools.
Reels can be put together with a series of new clips you shoot, a 15-second video at once, or through video uploads from your gallery.
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Once your reel is made, the share screen gives you options to save a draft, change the cover image, add caption/hashtags, and tag your friends.
In addition to sharing reels with your followers through your Feed, through the new Reels tab on your profile, or for 24 hours as a Story, you can also make them available to the world through a new dedicated reels space in Instagram’s Explore tab.
“Reels invites you to create fun videos to share with your friends or anyone on Instagram,” Facebook says. “Reels in Explore offers anyone the chance to become a creator on Instagram and reach new audiences on a global stage.”
This isn’t the first time Instagram has added a major feature that clones the concept of a popular social media app. In 2016, Instagram launched Stories to compete against Snapchat, and the feature quickly overtook Snapchat in usage.
Instagram Reels is rolling out today on both iOS and Android to the Instagram app available in the United States and 49 other countries.
