Instagram is now allowing its users to finally download the Reels that are posted by others. Downloading the reels by users will allow them to share those reels outside the app. TikTok has had this feature for years and gained popularity by people watching short videos with the app’s watermark outside the platform.
The head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, said on his Instagram broadcast channel that U.S.-based users are granted permission to download Reels to their camera roll. With this permission, the users can download the reels by tapping on the share icon and then selecting the Download option.
Mosseri noted that Reels that belong to only public accounts are eligible for download. Along with this, public accounts can turn off the ability to download Reels.
It is not specified by any of the professionals if there will be a watermark on the downloaded Reel or not. The downloaded video will highlight an Instagram logo along with the account name. Similar to this approach, TikTok also follows the format of attaching a watermark on downloaded videos. Instagram has always allowed users to download their own Reels without a watermark from drafts.
In 2021, Instagram stopped promoting content with a TikTok watermark on videos. Inspired by the same, YouTube started including a logo-based watermark on downloaded Shorts. This move by Instagram lets users download Reels which could be a tactic to attract people to watch more content on the platform.
Reels have always been the focal point to drive growth and revenue for Meta in the last few quarters. As per the analysis report, it has been said that the time spent on Instagram grew by 24% thanks to AI-powered Reels recommendations.
