Instagram has recently introduced several updates seemingly designed to appeal to TikTok users as the short-video app’s future remains uncertain. On Sunday, Meta, Instagram’s parent company, announced the launch of a new video creation app called Edits. This app closely resembles CapCut, the editing tool owned by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, widely used by creators to produce TikTok content.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, revealed on Friday that the platform’s profile photo grids would now display images as rectangles instead of the app’s signature squares—a layout strikingly similar to TikTok’s profile pages.
On Saturday, Mosseri announced that Instagram would increase the maximum length for Reels videos from 90 seconds to three minutes. This follows TikTok’s 2023 move to encourage longer video uploads. “We’ve historically only allowed Reels up to 90 seconds given our focus on short-form video, but we’ve heard the feedback that this is just too short for those who want to share longer stories,” Mosseri said in an Instagram post.
In a video shared Sunday about the new Edits app, Mosseri remarked, “There is a lot going on in the world right now, and no matter what happens, we think it’s our job to create the most compelling creative tools for those of you who make videos for not just Instagram but platforms out there.”
These updates appear to be part of a strategy to encourage users to spend more time on Instagram amidst the uncertainty surrounding TikTok. On Saturday night, TikTok and CapCut stopped functioning for U.S. users just hours before a ban was set to take effect. However, any hopes Instagram had of capitalizing on the TikTok shutdown were short-lived. Former President Donald Trump announced on Sunday his intention to issue an executive order to restore TikTok access. The app subsequently came back online later that day.
Meanwhile, Meta’s announcement of Edits—available for download but not functional until February—came just hours after TikTok restored its U.S. access. Instagram declined to comment on these developments when contacted by CNN.
Since TikTok’s rise to prominence in 2020, it has posed a significant challenge to Instagram by capturing users’ attention and prompting the platform to rethink its algorithm. Instagram first introduced Reels in the U.S. in August 2020, shortly after then-President Trump’s initial push to ban TikTok.
Even if TikTok had remained offline longer, it’s unclear whether users would have flocked to Instagram. In the week leading up to the shutdown, other TikTok alternatives—including the Chinese-owned app RedNote—experienced surges in popularity, while Instagram saw only a modest increase in downloads.
