Facebook Reels, another TikTok competitor, is rolling out on a staggered basis to some people in the United States, who can now watch and create reels from the Facebook app.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- The Reels feature from Instagram is coming to Facebook
- Some US users may see reels in their news feeds and groups
- Reels are short-form videos similar to those on TikTok
TikTok rival Facebook Reels enters limited testing
Reels on Facebook are short-form videos shot in portrait orientation. This feature is currently being tested with some users in the US, India, Mexico and Canada, The Verge reported.
Facebook has borrowed reels from Instagram. In August 2020, Instagram unveiled the Reels feature in a panicky response to the exploding popularity of TikTok. And now, the TikTok-ification of Facebook products continues with Facebook Reels.
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Facebook recommends reels you might want to watch based on what may be relevant to you. These reels suggestions may appear in your news feed on Facebook, within groups and in the Facebook Watch section. You can also view public reels from Instagram if the creator chooses to recommend them on Facebook.
This feature is only available on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android.
It’s currently unavailable through the web interface. And as mentioned earlier, reels on Facebook are currently being tested in select markets until Facebook decided to make the feature more available globally.
Creating reels on Facebook
Reels created on Facebook are set by default to the Public audience. Of course, you can change your audience at any time, including setting a default audience for your future reels, according to a support document in the Facebook Help Center.
If you plan on creating your reels on Instagram and then cross-posting them on Facebook, you may want to keep a few things in mind. Reels from Instagram have their creator’s Instagram username. Facebook users watching your reel created on Instagram can only comment on it using the Instagram app or on Instagram.com using their Instagram account.