Instagram launches TikTok-like feature

On January 19, Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, introduced the Edits app. As soon as it appeared, CNN commented that Edits "bears an uncanny resemblance" to the CapCut tool from ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok.

'Edits is for people who love making videos on their phones,' Instagram head Adam Mosseri said on Threads. 'There's a lot going on, and our mission is to provide the best tools for creators.'

Meta's Edits app on the App Store. Photo: 9to5mac

CapCut is an application that integrates many professional video editing features and creates "trendy" effects. The app is considered easy to use and is designed for users to quickly share on platforms like TikTok. According to Sensor Tower statistics last year, CapCut had more than 300 million monthly users, of which 81% were on mobile devices.

Edits will have a similar feature, Mosseri said, and it will roll out to iOS next month, followed by Android.

In addition to Edits, Meta is also adding new features to Instagram. For the first time in years, the platform's photo grid will display as a rectangle instead of the typical square, which is considered similar to the interface of the profile page on TikTok.

Instagram will also increase the maximum length of videos on Reels from 90 seconds to three minutes, Mosseri said. ByteDance's app will also encourage users to share longer videos from 2023, although it previously only allowed content under 60 seconds. Reels was launched in August 2020 and has most of the same features as TikTok.

According to CNBC, Meta's new move is seen as an effort to attract users to Instagram amid TikTok's uncertain future. TikTok is now operating again in the US, but the app, along with CapCut, is still removed from two popular app stores, Google Play and the App Store.

However, according to The Information, Meta has had difficulty attracting new users, as Instagram downloads only increased slightly in the US in the week before TikTok was banned.

Marvin Fry

Update 10 February 2025