Instagram Reels to Challenge TikTok, YouTube with Upcoming Revamp

Creators have expressed concerns about the length of videos on Instagram Reels since its launch by Meta. However, there have been significant updates, including an increase in reel duration from 30 seconds to 3 minutes and the addition of the video-creating tab IGTV for longer videos. Rumors suggest that Instagram might be planning to further extend the length of Reels, as leaked information indicates.

Length of Instagram rolls

According to a post shared by Alessandro Paluzzi on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram rolls can be up to 10 minutes long – currently the maximum length is 3 minutes. The leaker also shared screenshots of Reel’s duration to confirm the claim, but the Meta has yet to make an official announcement.

If the company confirms the move, it could become a strong competitor against TikTok. In addition, it can also align the app’s video length more closely with YouTube’s length. According to a report by ReturnByte. Instagram and TikTok features are very similar to each other.

ReturnByte reports that they tried to confirm the rumor with Meta, but the company said it was an “internal prototype.” However, they also confirmed that the screenshot shared by the leaker is very real.

Meta also revealed that the duration of the coil cannot be tested externally. For this reason, it is still unclear if the reel lengths will be increased, but if they are, it will certainly change the whole concept of the reel format, which users seem to enjoy. Then the app is based on long videos like YouTube.

While Instagram and TikTok are increasing the length of videos, YouTube is focusing more on its Shorts, its engaging short video format. Recently, the company added ads to Shorts and began sharing ad revenue with the platform’s content creators. Another platform experimenting with the short video format is Twitch, which has introduced a new “Discovery feed” for short videos. However, it has not been monetized so far.

We’ll have to wait and see if the coils are made longer. If they are, it will be interesting to see how users react to long-form videos.