Brace yourselves TikTok, America is coming.
Most recently YouTube has finally announced it’s testing a way for creators to record multi-segment 15-second long videos. This is considered a direct target at TikTok’s popularity. But it’s not the only incoming TikTok competitor. Facebook-owned Instagram already has a competing feature in some markets known as Reels.
Reels first launched in towards the end of 2019 and is now expanding to two more markets; France and Germany. Users in these countries can now enjoy Instagram’s TikTok clone.
Like TikTok, Reels allows users to post 15-seconds long videos – an increasingly sweet spot length for short videos. Initial tests in Brazil has lead Instagram to reshape what it thought was good for the feature at first.
New versions of Instagram now have a dedicated tab for Reels below the user profile as shown below.
Also, Reels has also been handed over a dedicated space in the Instagram Explore section for public accounts. This way Instagram users can be able to share Reels with a new audience and on their Instagram Feed as well, a company spokesperson told TechCrunch.
Instagram has no solid launch date for wider availability but slow expansion is enabling them to learn slowly as they expand in new markets.