New York — Instagram, a platform under the Meta umbrella, has unveiled a series of updates over the past few days in a clear bid to capture TikTok’s audience. These changes, introduced against the backdrop of TikTok’s uncertain future, reflect Instagram’s ongoing strategy to adapt and compete in the rapidly evolving landscape of short-form video content.
In a bold move on Sunday, Meta announced the debut of a new video creation app named Edits. The application mirrors the functionality of CapCut, a popular video-editing tool owned by ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. Edits appears poised to provide creators with enhanced capabilities to produce polished, shareable content, echoing CapCut’s appeal to TikTok users.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has been vocal about the platform’s transformative updates. On Friday, Mosseri revealed that Instagram would shift its iconic profile photo grid from squares to rectangles, aligning the app’s layout more closely with TikTok’s distinctive design. This change signals Instagram’s intent to blur the visual lines between itself and its chief competitor.
Further updates were disclosed on Saturday, when Mosseri announced an extension of the maximum duration for Reels videos, expanding from 90 seconds to three minutes. This change directly addresses feedback from users seeking greater flexibility to share longer and more engaging narratives. “We’ve historically limited Reels to short-form videos, but we’ve heard your requests for more creative freedom,” Mosseri explained in a post on Instagram.
Sunday brought yet another announcement, this time focused on the Edits app. In a video post, Mosseri emphasized Meta’s commitment to supporting content creators. “With everything happening in the world, our priority remains empowering creators with the best tools, whether they’re making videos for Instagram or any other platform,” Mosseri stated.
These updates come at a critical juncture. TikTok, along with its video-editing companion CapCut, faced a temporary shutdown for U.S. users on Saturday night, coinciding with the enactment of a controversial law aimed at banning the app. The timing presented a unique opportunity for Instagram to capitalize on TikTok’s absence, potentially drawing disaffected users to its platform. However, these hopes were short-lived. On Sunday, former President Donald Trump announced his intention to issue an executive order reinstating TikTok’s access, a move that quickly restored the app’s availability to U.S. users.
Despite the swift resolution of TikTok’s shutdown, Instagram’s proactive measures underscore its long-standing rivalry with the platform. Since TikTok’s meteoric rise in 2020, Instagram has been forced to adapt its algorithm and features to retain user engagement. The launch of Reels in August 2020 was one such response, introduced just as TikTok faced regulatory scrutiny in the United States during the Trump administration.
While Instagram’s latest updates aim to position it as a viable alternative to TikTok, the competitive landscape remains dynamic. Other apps, such as RedNote—another China-based platform—saw significant growth in downloads leading up to TikTok’s brief hiatus, while Instagram’s own download numbers showed only modest gains.
Meta’s unveiling of Edits, slated to become functional in February despite being available for download now, represents another chapter in Instagram’s evolution. By offering tools that cater directly to the creative needs of modern video makers, Instagram aims to not only compete but also redefine its role in the digital ecosystem. However, the question remains: will these efforts be enough to sway users from a platform as culturally entrenched as TikTok?
Instagram has yet to comment publicly on these developments, but one thing is clear—the battle for user attention in the realm of short-form video content is far from over.
