You Can Now Download Instagram Reels To Your Phone
Instagram is finally releasing the feature that allows users to save publicly shared Reels to their camera roll after putting it through its paces for several months. This development paves the way for the wider distribution of TikTok-style videos. Presently, this feature is exclusive to a chosen few in the United States.
Content creators have the power to disable the download option for their videos via their Account Settings. Hence, not every reel will be up for grabs. Additionally, downloading content that is marked private is a no-go.
According to the Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, via his Instagram channel:
“For our friends in the US, we’re rolling out the feature to save reels from public accounts to your camera roll. Simply hit the ‘Share’ button on a reel that catches your eye and choose ‘Download’.”
Even though there may not be a direct pathway back to the original creator’s profile, this feature still gives their brand a leg up, as their username remains attached to the clip, which will help gain awareness and generate free reach for their profile.
However, it’s not all smooth sailing. There are a few snags along the way. Some users have encountered audio glitches in certain Reels, which might be entangled with Meta’s music licensing agreements. Something that will surely be an issue for this feature moving forward.
Regardless, this new feature presents creators with an alternative route to expand the outreach of their content across different platforms. They are taking a page out of TikTok’s book, which has been offering video downloads since the launch.
All things considered, it’s somewhat surprising that Instagram took its sweet time to get on board with this feature. Perhaps it was seeking a way to fortify the interests of creators by ensuring links to their original posts within the app. Or, there could have been reservations about permitting users to download and repurpose IG posts on other platforms. But in the end, the feature has landed, so now we can finally enjoy it.
.png)
.png)
