Instagram launches TikTok competitor Reels

It seems TikTok is having a rough ride the past few weeks with reports of Trump threatening to ban the incredibly popular app, Biden banning it completely from his campaign, as well as Microsoft apparently trying to gobble them up. Now, it seems Facebook and more specifically Instagram, is muscling in on the action by releasing their own competitor Reels.

Reels will allow you to create 15-second long clips that can be shared directly to your feed, story, or a newly created Reels page located within the Explore tab. Like TikTok, you’re able to add music from Instagram’s built-music library to your clips as well as any audio you’ve separately recorded. Other features include hands-free recording, a countdown timer, and AR effects coupled with the ability to edit a number of clips together, not having to rely on a single take.

Introducing Reels – a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram.

With Reels, you can record and edit multi-clip videos with music, effects, and new creative tools. Share reels with friends on Feed or with the larger Instagram community in Explore. pic.twitter.com/Ac6s60ohJh

— Adam Mosseri 😷 (@mosseri) August 5, 2020

We learned about Reels about a year ago now but why release now? Well, as alluded to earlier, there’s been big skepticism around data privacy and with rumors that Trump will be putting a ban on the platform, Instagram will be there to swoop in on the millions of users chomping at the bit for a similar experience. On the other hand, though, Lasso, Facebook’s main channel take on the TikTok craze crashed and burned, so will Reels share the same fate? Maybe that will depend on if Government intervention occurs.