In a bid to make the most out of TikTok's absence in India, Instagram has started testing the ‘Reels’ feature in the country. This comes days after the ban of the former including 58 other apps which were banned by the Government of India citing security and data thefts.
A few days ago, Business Insider exclusively reported that the Reels feature of the Instagram app was being quietly tested in India. Certain users seem to have already got an update for the Instagram app that included the feature. Reels lets users record a 15-seconds clip similar to the TikTok and share them to their stories.
According to a spokesperson at Facebook, an updated version of the Reels feature has been planned to test and expand it in more countries. However, he did not disclose more information about the launch date.
The updated features of Reels are expected to add music/audio files to the background of the clip or share others’ audio in the same way as TikTok’s ‘Duet’ feature. Facebook and Instagram had also partnered with Saregama music label to give access to a music library for its users recently.
This could mean that Reels can extend a hand and make use of the library inside but we will have to wait for more official info on that. Additionally, the new update is also expected to bring a new section named ‘Top Reels’ where users can post their new clips and access it in the Explore Tab.
Reels was launched way back in November last year. Though the feature was limited to Brazil initially, it has expanded its horizon to new countries like France, Germany and looking at recent trends the list could include more countries like India.
At a time when Indian alternatives are trying their best to capture the ground left by TikTok, it is understandable that Facebook wants a share of it through its already tried and tested Instagram. What will be interesting to see is if TikTok influencers give the Facebook-created platform the approval in the weeks to come.
