Instagram has finally added the ability to watch Reels or videos in its app at 2x speed. Users can fast-forward videos just like how TikTok has supported in its app since a long time ago.
Instagram launched Reels by copying TikTok’s vertical videos a while ago but it has never featured a video playback experience that is on par with its competitor. TikTok has always allowed users to speed up videos by pressing and holding on the edge of the screen.
As expected, Instagram has copied this feature without any changes. To watch content at 2x speed, simply press and hold on the left or ride side of the screen when watching a Reel. This fast-forward mechanism also works with horizontal videos.
Here’s how it looks like in action:
With this update, Instagram has finally implemented a long standing user request. There is still some to go for the company to further improve its video watching experience. For example, when you drag through a video’s timeline, you can the timestamp, but the same doesn’t happen on Instagram. Hopefully this is the next feature that they copy, since they are so good at it.
The company had recently copied other TikTok features too. Some of the most recent notable mentions include vertical thumbnails, when TikTok was banned for a day, and the ability to remix other user’s videos, which is a direct steal of the former’s Duet feature
Despite the constant lifting and stealing of features, Meta has not been able to put a dent on TikTok’s usage. The company tried its best to take advantage of the looming U.S. ban for the Chinese social media app, however, it also lasted only a day. User backlash also made it clear that they will support the platform due to its policies, and innovative features, rather than Meta’s platform which has done nothing but steal features from competitors over the past decade.
