To beat TikTok, Meta to turn all Instagram videos into Reels!

Instagram is under immense pressure from China's TikTok, which is winning the war for people's eyeballs. To combat TikTok, Instagram app is reportedly testing a new feature for its video posts that will turn them all into Reels. The change is aimed to simplify the overall video experience on the platform. As per the screenshot shared by Matt Navarra on Twitter, the photo sharing app has already startedturning video posts into Reels for selected users and it may be rolled out for a larger audience across Instagram and Facebook. He tweeted, “Instagram is now making EVERY video a Reel.” As per the post, once the changes are implemented successfully, anyone will be able to discover anyone’s Reel and use the original audio to create their own Reel. Those who have a private account, their Insta Reel will only be visible to their followers. The message also adds that anyone will be able to create a remix with their Reel if their account is public. However, it can be prevented by making some changes in the account settings.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed the same with TechCrunch via an email. They wrote, “We’re testing this feature as part of our efforts to simplify and improve the video experience on Instagram.” Instagram Reels were first launched in the year 2020 after the Indian government banned TikTok along with other Chinese apps over security concerns. The platform gained immense popularity with the Reels’ short video format.

The change is currently under testing and the timeline for its release is not clear yet. It is also not known what will happen to existing videos published to Instagram, and whether we’ll still be able to publish videos up to 10 minutes long.

Meanwhile, the app is also testing another TikTok like feature- a full screen vertical home feed. This will let users enjoy the videos and posts in full screen mode.