After TikTok ban, Instagram starts pushing 'Reels' in India
Last week, the Government of India announced the decision to ban popular short-form video service TikTok among 59 unsafe Chinese applications. The move sent shockwaves across the senior-most level of the ByteDance-owned company, leaving them desperate to fix things as soon as possible. Now, TikTok's sudden departure is opening a way in for other short video players, including Instagram's 'Reels.' Here's more about it.
Instagram appears to be testing Reels in India
Mere days after the banning and disappearance of TikTok, Instagram appears to have started a test of Reels, its own short-form video feature, in India. According to Business Insider's sources, the capability has started appearing for users in India through a recent update. It comes as part of the main camera of the photo-sharing service, with short videos appearing across different pages.
Reels first debuted in Brazil last year
Announced last year, Reels has been rolling out gradually across markets. It is currently available in Brazil, France, and Germany, allowing users to create TikTok-like 15-second videos — edited with special effects, songs, dialogues, animations, and more — on the Instagram app. The clips created via Reels can be shared as Stories, DMs, or posted to a dedicated Explore section called 'Top Reels'.
India roll-out not yet official
That said, it must be noted that the test of Reels in India hasn't been confirmed by Instagram. A company's spokesperson issued a statement saying, "We're planning to start testing an updated version of Reels in more countries. We're excited to bring this new version to more of our global community. [But] No further plans to share on launch date or countries for now."
Still, introducing Reels to Indian market makes sense
TikTok hosted about 200 million users in India, but following its departure, creators and users have started shifting. Some have switched to Instagram and YouTube, while others plan to move to budding Indian apps like Chingari, Roposo, and Mitron. Now, at this time, adding a dedicated short video tool to Instagram, which already has a huge presence in India, makes a lot of sense.
