Instagram May Launch a Standalone Reels App to Compete With TikTok
Instagram is reportedly considering turning its short-form video feature, Reels, into a standalone app to compete with TikTok. According to The Information, Instagram head Adam Mosseri was heard discussing the idea with staff earlier this week. The move is seen as part of Meta’s strategy to take advantage of TikTok’s uncertain status in the U.S., where the platform still faces a potential ban.
U.S. President Donald Trump granted TikTok a 75-day extension on the ban when he came into office in January to give them more time to comply with a law brought in during his predecessor Joe Biden’s time in office, which requires the company to sell to a non-Chinese owner or face being banned in the U.S. However, with the deadline inching closer, TikTok has yet to sell.
The new app would be a key part of Project Ray, Meta’s initiative to help Instagram compete against TikTok by improving content recommendations and increasing the number of three-minute Reels videos shown to users in the U.S. If launched, the new app could provide a scrolling experience similar to TikTok. It is currently unknown whether Reels would remain integrated within Instagram or exist separately to the platform.
Meta has made previous attempts to compete with TikTok, including Lasso, a standalone video-sharing app released in 2018 that was later shut down. More recently, Meta launched Edits, a video-editing app similar to CapCut, which is owned by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.
With TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users facing uncertainty, Meta sees an opportunity to capture more of the short-form video market. However, whether a standalone Reels app can succeed where Lasso failed remains to be seen.
