In view of taking advantage of the ongoing travails facing Tiktok in the United States, Instagram has announced significant platform changes. These changes include extended Reels duration and a revamped profile layout.
Instagram users can now create Reels up to 3 minutes long, doubling the previous 90-second limit. Instagram head, Adam Mosseri, acknowledged user feedback that the shorter duration was insufficient for storytelling, marking a shift from his previous stance on keeping videos brief to maintain the platform’s core identity.
In another major update, Instagram is abandoning its iconic square grid format for rectangular displays on user profiles. Mosseri explained that most uploaded content is now vertical, making aggressive cropping unnecessary. While acknowledging potential user resistance to changing the platform’s heritage feature, he described it as a “transitional pain” that will benefit users in the long run.
The platform is also introducing a new feature allowing users to view Reels liked by their friends, accessible through a button in the Reels tab.
Read also: Meta abandons fact-checkers in favour of user-led content moderation
These changes come as TikTok faces an imminent US ban following a Supreme Court ruling that would force its parent company, ByteDance, to sell or cease operations. TikTok, which pioneered longer-form vertical video content by extending its limit to three minutes in 2021, could go dark this Sunday.
Industry observers note that Instagram’s timing suggests strategic positioning to capture TikTok’s user base should the ban take effect, offering similar features on its platform.
