Tag: reels
TikTok vs YouTube Shorts vs Instagram/Facebook Reels
Instagram is fixing an audio bug that happened when users exported their Reels
Meta is denying that it purposely muted the audio of downloaded Reels videos to keep users from exporting them to TikTok, The Vergereported. A company spokesperson blamed an “audio glitch” for the incident and said it’s in the process of being fixed. The outlet reported earlier this week that users who wanted to export their Reels onto another app (cough, cough TikTok) were forced to publish the video first — or risk losing its audio. Prior to this development, Instagram users could film and edit a video using Reels’ tools and opt to download and publish it elsewhere.
Although Meta is hoping to position Reels as the future of Instagram and Facebook, it has struggled to take the crown from the reigning short-form video app, TikTok. Creators and brands often cross-post Reels onto their TikTok accounts (or vice versa), meaning that Instagram and Facebook are no longer exclusive destinations for that content. TikTok gives users the ability to easily cross-post videos made on the platform to Facebook and Instagram Reels, but doing the reverse on the Meta-owned platforms requires manually downloading the video first. Reels and TikTok have different editing tools, so it’s easy to see why a user may want to edit in one specific platform and cross-post — not to mention that it simply saves time.
Meta is still working on fixing the audio glitch on Reels as of Friday afternoon, a spokesperson told Engadget in an email. The glitch appears to only impact iPhone users. “Due to a bug, the Reels download feature is not working as intended for iOS users and in some cases, audio is missing in downloads — we’re working to fix the issue as soon as possible,” the company said in its statement.
Like it or not, more changes are coming to Instagram Reels
If you’ve ever scrolled through Instagram and thought, “hmmm, this app would be so much better if it was just a little bit more like TikTok,” then oh boy, do I have good news for you.
In a video posted to their Facebook page on July 16, Meta announced a few changes that will continue to push the app toward becoming its biggest competitor, TikTok. The changes include being able to use the “Add Yours” stickers on Reels for Instagram and Facebook; making more insights and data available for Facebook Reels creators; releasing a new way for creators to make money on Facebook Reels; the ability to remix Reels on both platforms; crossposting your Instagram Reels onto Facebook; and making it easier to turn your Facebook memories and stories into Facebook Reels.
We’ve seen plenty of these changes go into effect in one way or another on Meta platforms. Last year, Instagram rolled out “Add Yours” prompt stickers to Stories, which allows users to respond to other users’ Stories by following a prompt; now you can do that for Reels, too. The Stories prompt brought us such (boring) hits as “we’ll plant 1 tree for every pet picture” and “show us your name in Urban Dictionary.” This tracks as a way for Instagram to continue to prioritize Reels, its short-form video feature designed to take over the app.
Meta also announced a new way creators can make money on Facebook Reels called “Stars,” which are virtual items that fans can give to creators to express support — basically like a tip jar for videos. Users can cross-post their Reels from Instagram to Facebook through the app, the same way you can with Stories right now. Double the content. And Meta launched auto-created Facebook Reels compiles from your previously shared Facebook Stories, and a new Facebook Reels insights in Creator Studio which helps creators see which Reels are performing well.
All of these changes come as no surprise to anyone who’s paid any attention to the way Meta — and particularly Instagram — has been morphing over the past few weeks. Recently, the app started testing out a version of Instagram that included a full-screen feed, a pivot to video, and an increase of recommended posts. It looked like TikTok, but bad. It received an avalanche of criticism from some of the platform’s most powerful users and was forced to temporarily walk back a few of the changes. But the pivot to video is inevitable, it seems.
Anyone can now cross-post Reels from Instagram to Facebook
Despite some missteps with Instagram, Meta is marching forward with its plan to make Reels a bigger component of its apps in an attempt to better compete with TikTok. It’s rolling out several updates to Reels, particularly on Facebook’s side. For one thing, everyone can now cross-post Reels from Instagram to Facebook with the tap of a button. Meta suggests that this may help creators to grow their audiences on the apps and monetize their content across both platforms.
In addition, Facebook now offers a way to automatically create Reels using Stories you have already shared. The idea is to help folks create Reels with little additional effort. On top of that, Facebook has gained more Reels remix options, which Meta previously introduced to Instagram. You can now show your video after the original Reel that you’re remixing in addition to having the side-by-side option.
Elsewhere, the Add Yours sticker that became popular in Stories is coming to Reels on Instagram and Facebook. The idea is to nudge other users to take part in a trend. If you create your own Add Yours prompt, every Reel that uses the sticker will appear on a dedicated page. The person who created the prompt will be displayed prominently on the page as well. So, if an Add Yours trend takes off and you’re behind it, that could help you to grow your audience.
Meanwhile, the Facebook Stars tipping feature will soon be available to all eligible creators on the platform. Creators will also have access to more Reels insights via Creator Studio (with metrics including reach, minutes viewed and average watch time) to help them figure out what content is working for their audiences.
Meta has a long way to go to catch up to TikTok, but perhaps these features will help, especially since engagement with Reels is growing across both platforms. TikTok is gobbling up almost every other social media app’s lunch. A recent Pew Research report suggested that 16 percent of US teens “almost constantly” use the app, compared with 10 percent for Instagram and two percent for Facebook.