Facebook debuted a new video editing tool for Instagram users in Brazil, TechCrunch reported, as the company looks for ways to better compete with short-form video app TikTok.
Available on both iOS and Android, the so-called Reels tool mimics some of TikTok’s popular features, allowing users to add music to 15-second video clips. TechCrunch stated tunes can be sourced from a catalogue or other videos, “to create a remix”.
Clips can be posted in Instagram’s existing Stories feature, in a message, or in a section of the Explore tab called Top Reels.
The launch in Brazil comes nearly two months after independent researcher Jane Manchun Wong spotted the unreleased tool in the app’s code. She noted in a blog post Instagram appeared to have been working it since early July.
Robby Stein, Instagram’s director of product management, told TechCrunch “sharing video with music is a pretty universal idea we think everyone might be interested in using”.
The move comes as Facebook looks to battle TikTok’s rising popularity (data from Sensor Tower showed it had 1.27 billion worldwide downloads as of July), and as the app faces intense scrutiny from US officials over data security concerns.
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