The ability to download public Instagram Rells arrived.
Instagram company head Adam Mosseri mentioned on his Instagram broadcast channel that users can download Reels from select accounts to their camera roll - a first in Instagram history.
However, there is quite a catch to Instagram's new feature.
Instagram Reel Download Feature Details
Mosseri mentioned on his Instagram Broadcast channel that users would be able to download Reels from public accounts to their camera roll, allowing people to enjoy their favorite content outside of the app even when offline, per Tech Crunch.
However, there is a catch: only US-based Instagram users can access this new feature. It is also unclear if downloaded Reels will bear a watermark; the pictures Mosseri posted showed that a downloaded Reel would show an Instagram logo, along with the account name.
To download a Reel from a public account, users must tap on the share icon and then select the Download option. Meanwhile, public accounts can switch off the ability to download Reels from their accounts, though he didn't mention how they could do so.
It is unknown if Meta, Instagram's parent company, would allow users from other countries to download Reels from public accounts sometime in the foreseeable future.
If this feature reminds you of TikTok's download feature, then you'd be correct. TikTok uses a similar format to attach a watermark on videos users download from its platform, and it has had this feature for years, gaining more popularity in the process.
Although Instagram does allow users to download Reels, the company only allows users to download their own Reels without a watermark from drafts.
Playing Catch-up to TikTok
Needless to say, this feature is one of Meta's efforts to compete against TikTok in the social media scene, which remains highly popular in the US despite the bans against it by the US government from state- and government-issued devices and individual states. You may recall that the state of Montana had enacted a total ban on the China-based app on its constituents, meaning that using TikTok is prohibited within its borders.
The decision has been controversial to those living in Montana - many TikTok content creators, along with TikTok itself, sued the state for enacting its total ban on the app. It is unknown if other states are also working to pass a total ban on TikTok within their orders.
Other companies are also playing catch-up with TikTok. In 2021, Instagram stopped promoting content with a watermark from other video-sharing platforms, while YouTube started including a logo-based watermark on downloaded Shorts - the company's short-form video product - to discourage cross-platform sharing.
Meta allowing US-based users to download Reels from public accounts is a move that could drive more growth and revenue for the company in the next few months as it did in the last few quarters. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Instagram users have been spending more time on the platform; it grew by 24% thanks to AI-powered Reels recommendations.
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