Instagram's new Reels take some notes from TikTok
The short-format video feature is being tested in Brazil.
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Instagram says it's collecting feedback on the new Reels feature.
Instagram's testing a new short-form video feature called Reels that seems an awful lot like rival social app TikTok . Reels will let people make short videos set to music and share them on their Instagram Stories or more directly with friends. The Facebook-owned photo app will also feature some Reels in the Explore tab during its test.
Instagram Reels lets you add music and change the speed of videos.
The feature is available in both its iOS and Android apps starting Tuesday, but only in Brazil for now. Instagram said it'll collect feedback as it tests the new feature.
"We're excited to test Reels, a new Stories format that gives our community a way to create entertaining, short-form videos with music," said Robby Stein, Instagram's director of product, in a statement. "Instagram Stories has always been a home for expression and we believe this new format has huge potential to enable more creativity for people."
If Reels sounds familiar, it's likely because it seems to take some notes from TikTok. The widely popular app lets you watch people lip-syncing or dancing to songs, or create short videos of yourself doing the same. TikTok reportedly said in July it had over 500 million monthly active users across 150 countries and regions. That's more than Twitter and about half of Instagram's base.
