Instagram is testing its TikTok rival Reels in India and the decision has come after the Indian government put a ban across 59 Chinese applications (including TikTok) owing to privacy issues.
Instagram is giving users some space to watch other Reels made by people and they are now featured in the Explore tab of the application.Instagram is testing its TikTok rival Reels in India and the decision has come after the Indian government put a ban across 59 Chinese applications (including TikTok) owing to privacy issues. According to multiple media reports, Instagram is planning to expand Reels in many markets and therefore, it is testing its waters in India now. A report by TechCrunch citing Instagram spokesperson revealed that the company has planned to test updated versions of Reels in more countries. Currently, Reels is launched in Brazil, France and Germany. With TikTok unavailable in Indian market, Reels can tap in the space for video making that has been created by the Chinese player.
What’s more interesting is that Reels is also being pushed at a time when parent company Facebook is also closing Lasso- a video making platform similar to TikTok on July 10 this year. According to the company, Reels is a fun and creative way for people to express and entertain themselves.
How is Reels different from Lasso or TikTok?
The first aspect to notice is Reels has been designed as a feature within the Instagram application whereas Lasso or TikTok are separate applications. It also does not have a scrollable feed or other tabs to watch Reels content. However, just like other platforms, Reels allows users to make a short 15-second video with music or audio and has a similar set of editing tools.
Currently, Instagram is giving users some space to watch other Reels made by people and they are now featured in the Explore tab of the application. This is likely to provide Reels a chance to go viral. Initially, Reels were only available to Instagram Stories.
Meanwhile, the ban on Chinese apps in India can provide a massive opportunity for Reels to tap into and take new users. As many as 200 million users in India have been using TikTok.
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