Instagram Announces Major Updates: Longer Reels, Redesigned Profile Grids, and New Editing App

21 Jan, 2025 11:16 IST|Sakshi Post

Meta's popular social media platform, Instagram, has unveiled a series of updates aimed at enhancing user experience. Key changes include an extended duration for Reels, a redesigned profile grid layout, and a new section on the Reels tab showcasing videos liked by friends. Additionally, Instagram is introducing a new video editing app called "Edits." Here’s a detailed look at the updates:

Extended Duration for Instagram Reels

Instagram has increased the maximum length for Reels to three minutes. In a post, Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, explained that the extension addresses user feedback suggesting that the previous 90-second limit was too restrictive for those wishing to share longer content. While Instagram has allowed longer videos in regular posts, this update specifically enhances the Reels feature, providing more flexibility for content creators.

Redesigned Profile Grids

In an Instagram Story, Mosseri announced that profile grids will now display content as rectangles instead of squares. This change acknowledges that most uploads are vertically oriented, and square grids often crop images and videos undesirably. Mosseri expressed confidence that users will appreciate seeing more of their photos and videos as originally intended, without aggressive cropping.

New Reels Section

The Reels tab is receiving a new feature that highlights videos liked by friends. Mosseri detailed that users will now find a dedicated feed within the Reels tab showing Reels their friends have liked or commented on. This feature aims to foster engagement by allowing users to start conversations directly from the Reels tab. The feature will initially launch in select countries before a broader rollout.

Introducing "Edits": A New Video Editing App

Instagram has announced a new video editing app called "Edits." According to Mosseri, the app will offer a comprehensive suite of creative tools, including a tab for inspiration and idea tracking, support for higher-quality videos, and the ability to share drafts with others. Users will also gain insights into their videos' performance on Instagram. While the app is not yet available on the Google Play Store for Android, it is open for pre-registration on the Apple App Store, with an expected launch date of March 13.

These updates reflect Instagram’s commitment to evolving with user needs, offering enhanced features for content creation and engagement.

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