Since TikTok has been banned in India, and people are trying to find alternate features like those of TikTok, Facebook came forward and tried testing some TikTok clones. The feature of short videos like TikTok was recently added to the Facebook-owned Instagram called Reels. Now the Big Blue app wants to incorporate something like that as well.
Facebook confirmed to TechCrunch that they are testing short-videos format on their app in India, which is apparently their largest market by users. An option for “Short Videos” has been added to the newsfeed on the Facebook app from where users can try out the new feature.
Facebook’s spokesperson says to TechCrunch that they keep on testing new tools to make the application more fun for the users. He further adds that short videos are a great way to express oneself, and they are working on ways to help people create, connect, and share these on their Facebook.
INTERESTING!— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) August 13, 2020
Facebook is also testing a ‘short videos’ feed with TikTok-like swipe up in its main app
This appears to be in addition to Instagram Reels
h/t @roneetm pic.twitter.com/0XHiSowCwW
A social media consultant, Matt Navarra, was the first one to notice the new test by Facebook.
The company takes advantage of the absence of TikTok from India. Firstly, it released the feature of Reels on Instagram last month, which was several weeks before it was launched to other markets. Moreover, Facebook has observed a massive increase in daily engagements by 25% since TikTok was banned.
YouTube didn’t stand back and added the feature of short videos. However, Facebook has been showing the urgency to incorporate the feature in the app as soon as possible because TikTok has been trying to pave its way into the market once again. As reported by TechCrunch, ByteDance has been seen contacting Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries.
