Instagram May Unveil a Standalone Reels App
California, US: As TikTok’s future in the United States hangs precariously in the balance, Instagram is reportedly exploring the possibility of launching a separate app dedicated to its short-form video feature, Reels.
Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s chief informed staff this week as reported by The Information on Wednesday that the company plans to launch a new app to offer a similar experience to TikTok, taking advantage of the uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future in the US.
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TikTok, the wildly popular short-form video-sharing platform, has been facing intense scrutiny in the United States over concerns about its Chinese ownership and potential ties to the Chinese government.
The US government has been pressuring ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell its US operations or face a ban.
The issue has been simmering for years with US authorities worried that TikTok may be gathering sensitive data from American users, such as their location, phone records, and messages.
In January 2025, the Supreme Court upheld legislation requiring ByteDance to divest its US operations, leading to a ban on TikTok in the United States.
However, President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending the ban for 75 days to explore solutions that address national security concerns while minimising disruption to users.
This suspension allowed TikTok to resume operations in the US, but the platform’s future remains uncertain.
As the 75-day suspension approaches its expiration in early April 2025, discussions between ByteDance and US authorities continue.
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The outcome will determine whether TikTok can maintain its presence in the US market or face another potential shutdown.
Meanwhile, Instagram is sensing an opportunity to poach TikTok’s users and establish itself as the go-to platform for short-form video content.
This move would allow Instagram to offer a similar video-scrolling experience to TikTok, potentially luring users away from the beleaguered platform.
It’s not the first time Instagram has tried to compete with TikTok; in 2018, the platform launched a standalone video-sharing app called Lasso, which ultimately failed to gain traction and was shut down.
