As the Chinese video platform TikTok faces a service shutdown crisis in the United States, Instagram is continuously rolling out features similar to those of TikTok.
According to CNN and others on the 19th (local time), Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced on the 17th that Instagram's profile photo grid will display images in a rectangular shape rather than a square. This layout is similar to TikTok's profile page.
Mosseri said that on the following day, the 18th, Instagram's short-form video service 'Reels' will extend the video length from a maximum of 90 seconds to 3 minutes. TikTok has encouraged users to upload longer videos since 2023.
In a post on Instagram, Mosseri explained, 'We have allowed Reels to be up to 90 seconds long, focusing on short-form videos, but we received feedback from those wanting to share longer stories that it was "too short."'
On the 19th, Meta, Instagram's parent company, introduced a new video editing application (app) called Edits. CNN reported that it is very similar to TikTok's popular video editing app 'CapCut.'
CNN noted that Instagram's latest update may be an effort to encourage users to spend more time on Instagram amid the uncertain future of TikTok. As TikTok created a short-form video boom and gained explosive popularity, Instagram launched Reels in 2020 as a contender against TikTok.
Earlier, TikTok halted its services in the United States just hours before the implementation of the so-called 'TikTok Ban Law.' However, after President-elect Donald Trump posted on social media (SNS) that he would announce an executive order to extend the sale period of TikTok's U.S. operations stipulated in the TikTok Ban Law on the 20th, some services were restored.
TikTok expressed, 'We appreciate that President Trump (the president-elect) provided assurances that our service providers would not face any penalties.'
CNN reported that amidst the TikTok service shutdown crisis, the popularity of alternative apps, including the Chinese version of Instagram, Xiaohongshu (English name Rednote), soared, but Instagram's downloads only saw a slight increase.