Instagram may launch Reels as separate app to rival TikTok
What's the story
Instagram is said to be considering the launch of a separate app for its short-form video offering, Reels. The news came from Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, who shared the information during an internal meeting earlier this week, as per The Information. The move appears to be an effort to leverage TikTok's uncertain position in the US and provide a similar video-scrolling experience to users.
Past attempts
Meta's previous ventures into video-sharing apps
This isn't the first time Meta, Instagram's parent company, has explored standalone video-sharing apps. Back in 2018, it launched Lasso in a bid to take on TikTok. However, the app struggled to gain traction and was eventually discontinued. Lasso allowed users to record 15-second videos with popular music and hashtags to spark trends. It was launched in limited regions, including the US. Although many expected it to reach India, the launch never happened.
Information
New video-editing tool to take on CapCut
More recently in January, Meta announced a new video-editing app called Edits in a bid to lure users from CapCut—a similar app owned by TikTok owner ByteDance. The software lets users create and edit videos, share them on Instagram, and monitor the analytics.