Instagram is updating Reels for the first time ever since it released the new video-creating feature. After Reels was rolled out, the feedback Instagram received on it wasn't too great, as the design of the feature was criticized and it didn't manage to gain as much attention as a potential TikTok competitor.
Instagram is, therefore, improving the feature by allowing users to record longer video clips on it, extending the timer, and making the editing process easier by using tools to trim and delete clips. Earlier, the video length on Reels was only up to 15 seconds, whereas TikTok allows its users to record videos up to 1 minute on its app.
The user feedback Instagram received was mainly regarding the concern that the video length on Reels was too short. Instagram still hasn't allowed for the video length to be 1 minute long like on TikTok, but it has extended the length to 30 seconds. The timer has been extended to 10 seconds.
On the other hand, what makes TikTok stand out more as a video-creating platform is its ''sound sync'' feature, that automatically finds music that fits and synchronizes with a video clip, hence making the creative process a lot easier. Reels, however, is more about manual editing, where users have to spend time looking for the right music track to match with their clips, instead of relying on the app to automatically do it for them.
Moreover, there are other features as well that Reels does not own unlike TikTok. For instance, the duet feature and family pairing parental controls.
The way Reels has been integrated in Instagram is also a bit complicated, considering the way it appears on the profile in a separate tab, resulting in ''app bloat''. TikTok, on the other hand, is an entire social network unlike Reels, which is Instagram's attempt to squeeze the broader video-creating experience into a smaller section alongside other sections like Shopping, IGTV, Stories, Instagram Live, and others, hence making the entire outlook appear quite crammed.
The new Reels updates will be rolling out in 50 countries where the feature is already available, as well as in more regions where Instagram plans to expand Reels.
