You can now skip ahead in Instagram reels by holding down on either screen edge
Meta has updated the Instagram app with a TikTok-like fast-forward feature in reels, so you can play the video at double speed to skip the boring parts.
TechCrunch reports that you can play a reel at 2x by touching and holding on the left or right side of the screen. The new feature works exactly like skipping ahead on TikTok, which Meta has been keen to emulate by copying its features.
The ability to skip ahead and consume video content more quickly is a crucial feature for video-based social networks, where attention spans are less than three seconds. What I’d like to see for Instagram reels is rewinding backward at 2x by holding the left edge of the screen. Is that so hard to implement?
Creators probably won’t like the fact that viewers can fast-forward through their reels. Perhaps creators should put more effort into creating more interesting videos that grab you immediately instead of going on and on just to please the algorithm?
You can now skip ahead in Instagram reels
I wonder how Instagram counts views when you fast-forward a reel. Do I need to reach the reel end to count as a view? At any rate, I’m appreciative of this feature. Time is a resource we all have equally, and time tends to fly when you’re scrolling like an animal on TikTok or Instagram. Holding my finger to skip ahead to get to the interesting parts quickly saves me time. Also, it might make me want to actually sit through your reel instead of skipping it after a few seconds.
Like TikTok, Instagram reels used to be limited to fifteen seconds in length. But as the popularity of vertical smartphone video exploded, social networks like TikTok and Instagram gradually expanded the maximum duration to several minutes. TikTok currently lets you upload videos that can be up to sixty minutes long (one hour). Videos you record using the TikTok camera can be up to ten minutes long.
As for Instagram reels, you can record reels that are up to three minutes long. The previous limit was ninety seconds, but Instagram finally doubled it in January 2025. Instagram supports longer videos for non-reels posts, like uploads to your profile.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/03/28/instagram-reels-skip-ahead-announcement/
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