Instagram users will be very happy with this news
Instagram, which is constantly evolving, has announced that it has made available a feature that users have been requesting for a long time.
In a nod to popular demand, Instagram, one of the world's leading social media platforms, has unveiled a feature that allows users to download and share Reels outside of the application. This decision echoes the successful move by TikTok, which uses watermarked videos shared across platforms as a form of widespread marketing.
Just like TikTok's downloaded videos, Instagram Reels will also carry a discernable watermark or icon. Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, announced this news via his Instagram broadcast channel. He revealed that users in the United States would be able to download Reels straight to their device's gallery by simply tapping the share icon and selecting the download option. This feature empowers users with increased control over the content they create and appreciate on Instagram, but it also sparks a debate: should easy downloading of videos be a standard feature across all platforms?
Instagram users will be very happy with this news
An important caveat to this new function is its restriction to public account posts only. Moreover, these public accounts retain the authority to disable the download option for their Reels, allowing them to exert greater control over their content distribution. Although it's yet to be confirmed if downloaded Reels will include a watermark, Mosseri's illustrative image implies the presence of an Instagram logo along with the account name. This method aligns with TikTok's practice of branding downloaded videos with a watermark. It's important to note that Instagram previously allowed users to download their own Reels from drafts without any watermark, marking this as a significant change.
Instagram's introduction of the Reels feature has already made a significant impact. During the Q1 2023 earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg revealed a notable 24% increase in time spent on the platform. Mimicking the viral video platform format of TikTok, Instagram's move to enable Reels downloads signifies a noteworthy advancement in the platform's evolution.