What you need to know
- Instagram will be bringing Reels to the U.S. in early August.
- Like TikTok, Reels allows users to create 15-second videos set to music or audio from another user's video.
- It was first launched in Brazil in November last year.
In November last year, Instagram began testing a new feature called Reels, allowing users to create short 15-second video clips set to music or other audio, similar to TikTok. The feature was expanded to France and Germany last month and made its way to India earlier this month. Instagram has now confirmed that Reels will arrive in the U.S. in early August.
In a statement sent to TechCrunch, a Facebook spokesperson said:
We're excited to bring Reels to more countries, including the U.S., in early August. The community in our test countries has shown so much creativity in short-form video, and we've heard from creators and people around the world that they're eager to get started as well.
The confirmation comes just hours after NBC News reported that Facebook is set to launch Reels in over 50 countries "in a matter of weeks."
Unlike TikTok, however, Reels doesn't offer an endless scrollable feed. It also doesn't get a dedicated tab. Users can currently browse Reels only within the Explore tab. Despite these limitations, however, Reels has the potential to be a hit with users in the U.S. if the Trump administration decides to ban the app over security concerns. Earlier this week, Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, hinted at the possibility of the app being banned in the U.S. "within weeks." India had banned TikTok, along with 58 other Chinese apps, in June.
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