Instagram Reels launched to take on TikTok - Android

After its initial pre-releases in the last couple of months, the full roll-out of Instagram Reels couldn’t have better timing as TikTok is facing uncertainty in the United States. US President Donald Trump threatens to completely ban the Chinese-owned social media platform or sell it to a US-based company.

Reels is now available in 50 different countries like the US, India, Brazil, the UK, Australia, and Japan. Upon testing personally, the feature is still not present in our Instagram account here in the Philippines, so it may take a while before it completely rolls out in all markets around the globe.

So, how it works? Reels is built on the Instagram camera itself, right next to the Story button, for easy access. Just like TikTok, users are treated with different editing tools to create 15-second multi-clip videos. You can choose between different AR effects, set timer and Countdown, align objects, adjust speed, and choose from different background music.

Your followers and other Instagram users can view your Reels in a dedicated section in Explore, where Instagram’s large community can see it. You can use tags and hashtags to reach more people. But if your account is private, only you and your followers can see it.

Facebook’s Instagram Reels can get audience from those who are sketchy about TikTok, or if the US completely band the Chinese social media platform. But here in the Philippines, the local government said that they have no plans in banning TikTok as of yet. So, will you be making the switch?

This article, Instagram Reels launched to take on TikTok, was originally published at NoypiGeeks | Philippines Technology News, Reviews and How to's.