Instagram confirmed it’s preparing to soon launch its TikTok competitor, known as Reels, in the U.S. The company expects to bring the new video feature which is designed specifically for short-form, creative content to its platform in early August, according to a spokesperson. The U.S. launch comes shortly after Reels’ arrival in India this month, following a ban of TikTok in that market. Reels has also been tested in Brazil, France, and Germany.
Instagram like its owner, Facebook has a history of replicating popular features from other apps. Its Stories feature was taken from Snapchat, and it led to explosive growth for Instagram, seemingly at Snapchat’s expense. Seeing the rapid growth of TikTok, Instagram is likely hoping to achieve the same feat again.
The launch also comes as political pressure builds against TikTok in the US. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said yesterday that the administration was looking at taking action against TikTok within “weeks,” after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo floated a potential ban earlier this month over security concerns.
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the U.S. (and international) launch, saying “We’re excited to bring Reels to more countries, including the U.S., in early August,” without providing specific details of which further markets will be added.
“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 spokesperson added.
It’s still unclear exactly how viewers will find Reels to watch. NBC News said today that Instagram will add a new tab to the bottom of the screen where you’ll be able to watch them. A dedicated viewing tab could make the experience a lot more like TikTok, which throws users directly into an endlessly scrolling screen of videos.
