Facebook Is Testing Instagram Reels In India To Replace TikTok

Facebook and Instagram are testing Instagram Reels in India after the country imposed a ban on Chinese video-sharing app TikTok last week. Just like on TikTok, this feature will let users create short videos of 15 seconds. A spokesperson from Facebook said:

“We're planning to start testing an updated version of Reels in more countries. Reels is a fun, creative way for people to both express themselves and be entertained.”

He added that there hasn’t been a launch date for other countries yet, for now.

After India banned TikTok, other home-grown video-sharing apps have seen a significant increase in their download volumes, such as Roposso and Chingari. There were more than 200 million people in India using TikTok from every part of the country.

Now, Instagram users in India can access the Reels feature already. With Reels, you can create and edit videos that are 15 seconds long.

The feature allows users to make lip-synced clips with a huge library of songs and more. It’s accessible in the Instagram camera and will come with a dedicated feed so that other users can explore videos of a certain user. Your video can go viral through public feeds.

You can also share your videos with friends and followers via direct messages if you don’t want it to be public.

Instagram Reels first came to Brazil in 2019 under the name Cenas. Users have the option to add stickers, animations, audio snippets, background music, and more to their clips. It also lets users borrow audio from another user’s clip to make their own video.

Last week, India imposed a ban on TikTok and Facebook doesn’t wait for a second to take this chance. Let’s see if it can compete with home-grown apps.

>>> After India, U.S Might Also Ban TikTok & Other Chinese Social Media Apps