Instagram Reels download is finally a reality for users in the US. The company head, Adam Mosseri, announced the new feature on his Instagram broadcast channel. According to the top honcho of Instagram, the feature is currently restricted to public reels only, which can also be turned off by the original poster. The native Instagram Reels download will save users from third-party apps or websites, mostly ads galore. Here’s everything you need to know about the native Instagram Reels download feature announced by Mosseri.
Instagram Users in the US Can Now Download Public Reels Natively
After TikTok was banned in India and most countries in 2020, many popular social media platforms tried to emulate the massive success of the short video platform. TikTok continues to enjoy unparalleled popularity, with around 1 billion monthly active users worldwide and 150 million monthly active users in India before the ban was enforced. No wonder platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, etc., came up with their own short video content format.
Instagram came very close to imitating the same feature set as TikTok with video speed, filters, green screen, music, and more. However, what set TikTok apart was the ability to download any TikTok video natively onto their device. Such downloaded videos had the TikTok and username watermark on them. TikTok users were downloading their uploads on TikTok and posting them on Instagram. This led to Instagram changing its algorithm to limit the reach of watermarked videos and push original content.
However, this ability to download any TikTok video and share it on other apps made the short video platform exciting to its users. Instagram has realized this and lets users download any public Reel posted on its platform. However, this will depend on whether the original poster allows downloading. Users can turn off the ability to download reels from their feeds to protect their content.
To download public reels, users can tap on the share icon (aeroplane) and click the download button in the bottom bar. In the images shared by Mosseri, we can see that the downloaded reels will have an Instagram logo and a profile handle. This is similar to videos downloaded by users from their profiles. This move by Instagram to let users download branded content is a tactic to get users hooked and watch more content to share with their contacts on other apps.
