Instagram announced a new video editing app, called Edits, on the same day that rival video service TikTok briefly went dark in response to a US federal ban.
The new app, which won’t be available until February, will offer "a full suite of creative tools,” according to an Instagram post on Jan 19 from Adam Mosseri, the head of the social media platform. People can used Edits to store video drafts, edit clips and add features like green screens, overlays and transitions, according to a Meta spokesperson.
Instagram, which is owned by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms Inc, announced the new app just hours after TikTok shut off its service in the US following the implementation of a new national security law.
TikTok has since started restoring service after President-elect Donald Trump halted enforcement of the ban, but its long-term future is still in doubt as the law requires that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd, sell the app’s US business. Trump has said he’s aiming to facilitate a joint venture with new US-based owners purchasing 50% of the company.
ByteDance also owns a popular video editing app, called CapCut, which was also taken offline for US users over the weekend.
Instagram is considered one of the main beneficiaries of a TikTok ban. It already has a similar short-form video product, called Reels, that is used widely in the US. Launching a new video editing app amid the TikTok uncertainty could entice video creators who may be looking for a new place to edit and post their content.
Instagram was running ads in Apple’s App Store after TikTok was pulled down overnight. People who searched for "TikTok” were greeted with a promotion for Instagram instead. – Bloomberg
