- By Prateek Levi
- Mon, 20 Jan 2025 12:21 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Instagram Reels: The TikTok ban in the US has definitely created an empty space in the market which has sparked excitement among its competitors, and Instagram did not let this opportunity slide away and has seized the moment with a significant update. Instagram users and creators can now upload videos that are three minutes long, taking a leap from the previously allowed limit of 90 seconds. The main goal behind this update is to give content creators and common users more flexibility, by enabling them to create longer and more captivating content for their followers.
The update comes as a direct response to multiple feedbacks from content creators many of whom have demanded that the video duration should be increased. Instagram hopes this will offer more room for storytelling and creativity.
As Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared in a recent reel, "Starting today, you can upload reels to Instagram up to 3 minutes long. Now historically, it's only been 90 seconds, and that's because we wanted to focus on short-form videos, not long-form videos." He continued, “But we have heard a lot of feedback from a lot of you creators out there that 90 seconds is just too short. We hope that increasing the limit to three minutes will help you tell the stories you really want to share.”
This update also follows the path that other platforms such as YouTube, have taken, which has recently increased its video limit to three minutes from 60 seconds, and this was before the TikTok ban started making a buzz.
On top of that, Instagram is enhancing social interaction by showing users what reels their friends have liked and engaged with. This feature will allow users to see what content their friends have engaged with, making the app more social and interactive. The platform is also rolling out a new look by replacing square profile grids with rectangular ones for a more aesthetically pleasing design.