Instagram Reels adds new features as TikTok is banned in the U.S.

Instagram announced a timely update to its video feature Reels this morning, alongside the news that the Supreme Court upheld the law that will ban TikTok in the U.S. on January 19. The update, says Meta, will make it easier for users to discover the content that friends and followers are liking on the platform and will encourage users to start conversations about Reels content.

Meta says the features are launching in the U.S. to start.

The company is poised to capture a number of TikTok users in the wake of the U.S. ban, particularly creators who rely on social media for income. Though a sizable group of TikTokers have already fled to the Chinese app RedNote in protest of the ban, it will be more difficult for creators to monetize their followings on an app largely used by Chinese netizens, but not U.S. businesses and brands.

Meta, angling to capture TikTok users’ attention on Friday, announced that it’s adding a feature that appears on the top-right corner of the Reels tab, making it easier to see the content that friends and followers have liked or commented on (leaving notes on). This appears as a small button with the profile pictures of those who engaged with the content and a little heart icon or conversation bubble, to indicate what sort of interaction they had.

In addition, the company said it will introduce a new “reply bar” at the bottom of a reel that will allow users to easily respond to the content their friends like. For instance, the bar may prompt you to respond to a friend’s “Like” as their profile pic and heart float across the screen. When you send a reply, it goes directly to the follower you follow back who liked the reel or left a note, as a direct message.

The new features are rolling out now, Meta says.

:story: TecCrunch