Instagram Introduces Updates and a New App to Compete with TikTok amid Uncertainty

By Evans Momodu
4 minute digest


Instagram has rolled out several updates aimed at capturing TikTok's audience as the short-video app’s future in the US hangs in the balance.

Over the weekend, Instagram's parent company Meta announced a new video creation app called Edits, which closely mirrors CapCut, the editing app from TikTok’s parent company ByteDance.

Key Updates

• Profile Layout Changes: Instagram’s iconic square photo grid will now display images as rectangles, a shift that aligns Instagram profiles more closely with TikTok's layout.
• Extended Reels Length: Reels, Instagram's short-form video feature, will now allow videos up to three minutes, up from the previous 90-second limit. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, explained the change in response to user feedback, stating, “We’ve heard the feedback that [90 seconds] is just too short for those who want to share longer stories.”
• Launch of Edits: The new app, Edits, was unveiled Sunday. It closely resembles TikTok's popular video editing tool CapCut. Although Edits is already available for download, its functionality will go live in February.

The updates come as TikTok, along with CapCut, briefly went offline in the US over the weekend due to a new ban set to take effect.

While the shutdown offered Instagram a chance to attract TikTok users, the opportunity was short-lived as President Trump announced on Sunday that he would issue an executive order to restore TikTok's access, and the platform was back online within hours.

Adam Mosseri addressed the updates in a video, saying, “It’s our job to create the most compelling creative tools for those of you who make videos, not just for Instagram but for platforms out there.”

The Broader Context

Since TikTok’s rise in 2020, it has consistently posed a challenge to Instagram, leading the platform to introduce features like Reels. Instagram's latest changes seem to underscore its ongoing efforts to retain and grow its user base, even as TikTok remains a dominant force in the short-form video space.
Source: CNN