Instagram Extends Reels to 60 Seconds

Today, Instagram announced that Reels can now be up to 60 seconds long. The limit, previously 15 second and then upgraded to 30 seconds, was changed at the suggestion of the Instagram community.

Instagram said the move was aimed at encouraging broader creativity and widening room for expression through its platform. In addition, the platform is introducing a captions sticker within Reels, which converts audio into text-based captions so Reels can be enjoyed without audio. Currently, the new feature is launching in a number of English-speaking countries with hopes to expand to additional countries and languages soon.

Instagram recently announced plans to expand its video capabilities beyond IGTV, Reels and Stories to engage the entire scope of entertainment and video, specifically full-screen videos. The platform’s head, Adam Mosseri, no longer wants Instagram to be thought of as just a photo sharing app, and has hinted towards a huge shift in capability for the app in the near future.