redesign of the grid, 3 minute Reels, update on the new features

It was a busy weekend for TikTok, which was temporarily suspended and then reinstated in the United States. But it was also dense for Instagram, its main competitor. Between January 17 and 19, 2024, the Meta platform, often through its CEO Adam Mosseri, increased the number of announcements, undoubtedly to take advantage of the ambient chaos and collect certain “TikTok refugees”, before they do not migrate to another application. From the increase in the duration of Reels to the makeover of its iconic grid, here is a summary of the big announcements of the last 48 hours.

Extending the maximum duration of Reels

After procrastinating for a long time on the subject, Instagram now allows the publication of Reels that can last up to 3 minutes, compared to 90 seconds previously, announced Adam Mosseri on his personal account. Chance or coincidence, this possibility has been offered by TikTok since 2021.

A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

For the boss of Instagram, who claims to meet user expectations with this decision, it is a “notable turnaround”underlines The Verge. Last July, he affirmed, on his personal account, that the social network would not favor long videos, because this would risk “compromising one’s identity by establishing connections between loved ones”recalls the specialized media. In 2023, Instagram briefly tested the possibility of extending the maximum duration of Reels to 10 minutes, before changing its mind.

A new tab in the Reels section

In another video, Adam Mosseri revealed the imminent integration of a new tab in the Reels feed. It will allow you to access videos liked or commented on by your loved ones, taking over the operation of the tab Activity – far from being unanimous and deleted a few years ago. The tab will first be accessible in “certain countries”specified the CEO, before being deployed more widely.

A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

A Grid Makeover

It was expected, and it is now in effect: Instagram is abandoning the square format display. The platform is now switching to a vertical presentation, better suited to current uses, she believes. “The majority of photos and videos published on Instagram today are in vertical format, and rectangles allow them to be better highlighted”justified Adam Mosseri, repeating comments he had already made last August.

Gradually deployed since this weekend, this new grid, tested since 2022, has generated mixed reactions, in particular because it disrupts the appearance of many profiles, admitted Adam Mosseri on his personal account. Aware of the efforts invested by certain users in organizing their grid, he specified that the development teams are working on a tool allowing them to “completely reorganize your grid to suit your needs”. He offered a glimpse of it in a publication released this Sunday.

A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

Edits, an editing application to compete with CapCut

Last information, and not least: Instagram is preparing to launch a video editing application called Edits. Or an alternative to CapCut, the application developed by ByteDance and briefly suspended this weekend.

According to a dedicated page posted online on the App Store, Edits will be a free application, designed to simplify capturing and editing from a smartphone. It will include several features, such as export without watermarka background modification tool, a series of settings to adjust the resolution rate or refresh rate, as well as a selection of fonts, sound or voice effects. The application should also integrate functionality powered by AI, the sheet specifies. “Edits is not just a video editing app, it’s a complete suite of creative tools,” enthused Adam Mosseri, in a publication on his personal account.

Developed for several months, Edits will be officially launched on March 13, 2025. It is already available for pre-download.

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