Instagram Now Allows Users To Download Publicly Posted Reels

Instagram is constantly upgrading its features to boost user engagement. This time, the social media platform has come up with an advancement so that users can download reels that are shared publicly. This feature was already available to the platform users in the United States. This feature will be available for all users starting 22nd November.

Suppose a creator has made a reel, and they have enabled downloads for it. Also, there are reels that are posted publicly. In both cases, whenever you try to share the reels, there will be a download option. It will be at the bottom of your screen and in the same section where you will have options like “share,” “copy link,” etc.

Here is also one thing to be noted from the perspective of a creator. If you don’t want your reel to be downloaded or copied, you can easily switch off the download option.

However, the best thing about these downloaded videos is that they will have Instagram logos. So there are fewer chances of replication. Also, there will be an overlay of the Instagram handle from where it is downloaded.

So, even if a spammy user downloads the video and shares it on any other platform like TikTok, they will not get the reach or engagement they want from this video. To explain further, the algorithm of TikTok will reduce the reach of the videos downloaded from Instagram with up-front branding.

Thus, the incorporation of the IG logo and the creator’s overlay will encourage more creators to come up with original content. Yes, you will probably see more re-sharing of Instagram content on TikTok, but with limited benefits for the ones sharing them.

You cannot say that it’s a huge change in terms of the evolution of the platform’s features. However, the impact of these features can be huge, with more creators coming up with more reels to boost user engagement.