Instagram looks set to expand TikTok rival 'Reels' to India

New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Facebook-owned Instagram is planning to expand its new video-music remix feature Reels which offer TikTok-like functionalities to more countries and India is expected to be one of them.

The expansion plan for Reels was revealed at a time when Indian users appear to be searching for a suitable alternative for TikTok after the app was banned in the country, along with 58 other Chinese apps, due to national security concerns.

"We're planning to start testing an updated version of Reels in more countries. Reels is a fun, creative way for people to both express themselves and be entertained," a Facebook spokesperson told IANS.

"We're excited to bring this new version to more of our global community. No further plans to share on launch date or countries for now," the spokesperson said.

Instagram Reels is a video-editing tool to allow users to create short, 15-second video clips set to music or other audio and share those on the platform.

Just like TikTok, users can soundtrack their 'Reels' with a huge catalog of music, or borrow the audio from anyone else's video to create a remix of their meme or joke.

The feature was first launched in Brazil last year as a pilot and Instagram recently expanded the feature to France and Germany, TechCrunch reported last month.

--IANS

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