Instagram Users Can Now Download Reels From Public Accounts (Image: Unsplash)

Meta-owned Instagram has rolled out a new feature in which all users across the globe can download public reels to their devices. Earlier, Instagram users were able to only save the reels, which they could access through the saved reels tabs on the platform. Users have been demanding the reel downloading feature for a long time.

Instagram Head Adam Mosseri announced this feature through his broadcast channel. Adam Mosseri said that all users will be able to download Instagram reels shared by public accounts and save them directly to the camera roll. To download a reel, users need to tap on the share button and select the download option. The feature is available on both iOS and Android devices. Notably, this feature was first introduced in the United States earlier this year. In the Help Center page, Instagram mentioned that the reels that users download will include an Instagram watermark, the username, and audio attribution. “Copies of reels that have been downloaded onto a device won’t be affected if you change your reel download settings,” added the Meta-owned platform in its Help Center page.

Also, if users are downloading a reel that uses a licensed audio clip, the downloaded video will not contain any audio. It should be noted that only reels with original audio tracks will have sound in the downloaded video. Meanwhile, the default setting for downloading reels will be off for Instagram users under 18 with public accounts. But such users can turn on this feature at any time. Notably, if you have a private account, no other users will be able to download your reels unless you change the privacy setting to public. The latest feature is optional, and public accounts can turn off the ability for other users to download their Instagram reels.