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Instagram is letting users download Reels posted by others. The company’s CEO Adam Mosseri announced this feature on his Instagram broadcast channel yesterday. This ability is currently only available on the mobile app for users in the US. A global rollout may follow soon.
Instagram launched Reels inspired by TikTok, which made short-form social videos popular a few years back. However, the latter has always enjoyed an advantage over the former. Not that it had a head start but it allowed users to download videos posted by others and share them on various social platforms. Since the video has its logo and the username of the creator, it drove people from other platforms to TikTok.
The Meta-owned platform is finally catching up to TikTok. According to a screenshot shared by Mosseri, Instagram users can download Reels from the Share menu. The app has added a new “Download” button to the bottom row of the Share menu where you also find buttons to add the Reel to your story or share it on other platforms as a link. The Download button appears between Copy link and Message/SMS buttons.
You can only download Reels posted from public Instagram accounts
Moserri noted that users can only download Reels posted from public accounts. You cannot download Reels shared by private accounts even if you follow them. This respects the privacy setting of those users. Reels they share are only for people who follow them. Allowing downloads defeats the purpose. Meanwhile, public accounts can also block downloads for other Instagram users from their account settings.
Like other platforms, Instagram will also put a watermark on downloaded Reels. Mosseri didn’t specify that in his broadcast but an accompanying screenshot suggests so. It features the company’s logo and the username of the Reel creator. Note that Instagram stopped recommending or promoting videos/Reels with a watermark of TikTok or other platforms in February 2021 to discourage cross-platform sharing of short videos.
It’s unclear when Instagram plans to bring this feature to other markets. As said earlier, its rivals already allow downloading. This includes YouTube as well, which launched Shorts after TikTok surged in popularity globally. Downloaded YouTube Shorts also feature a logo-based watermark. Keep a close eye on the Share menu for Instagram Reels in the coming months. Always make sure to keep the app updated as well, so you don’t miss out on the new features. You can click here to download the latest version of Instagram from the Google Play Store.
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