Instagram is launching a new feature to take on social media rival, TikTok. And it is currently available in the UAE.
Instagram Reels are 15-second videos that users can pair with music and share as stories, in the same way that the TikTok platform does.
TikTok is currently one of the most downloaded applications across the world, so it makes sense that – after Vine and Snapchat – Facebook would want to ape some features. On Tuesday, Instagram released Reels for both iOS and Android.
Similar to TikTok, Instagram Reels lets users make 15-second videos – from either original footage or based on someone else’s video – that can be set to music from the app’s existing library. There is also a new ‘Top Reels’ section within Instagram’s Explore aggregator feature.
This is another attempt from Facebook to compete with Chinese firm TikTok. It launched a direct competitor, Lasoo, last year. But it has failed to take off like its counterpart.
Integrating TikTok-like features into an already popular app is very much Facebook’s style, however, and the social media platform hopes that it will be a more effective way to encourage users to turn towards Instagram.
Instagram Reels is now available in the UAE. Just head to Instagram and hit the camera app to start ‘reeling’.
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