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Instagram has launched a new video creation app called Edits as it looks to rival TikTok, which is facing an uncertain future in the US.
The Meta-owned firm said the new app would enable users to create and edit videos on their smartphones more easily before sharing them to social platforms.
TikTok is the subject of a looming ban in the US over national security concerns unless its Chinese parent firm, ByteDance, agrees to sell to non-Chinese buyers.
US President Donald Trump granted an extension to the deadline for a deal earlier this month, giving TikTok a further 75 days to find a buyer for its US business or face “going dark” in the country, where it has more than 170 million users.
But questions remain over whether the Chinese or ByteDance will ever agree to a sale, and it was reported that a previous proposal fell apart after Mr Trump announced sweeping global tariffs, including massive taxes on China.
Meta has now appeared to jump on this uncertainty within the social media landscape by announcing the global rollout of Edits, which it says will enable users to “make great videos directly on your phone” while offering “powerful” editing tools and “data-driven insights”.
Edits will not offer a social media feed to rival TikTok in that way, but will instead act as a mobile capture and editing studio for content creators, who will then be able to post directly to social platforms, including Meta’s own Facebook and Instagram.
Instagram already includes a short-form video feed, known as Reels, which is one of the biggest rivals to TikTok.
Edits will also include an “inspiration tab”, which will show users content and audio which is trending, and an “ideas” space.
“Our goal is to build the most compelling creative tools to help creators express themselves freely in all the ways they can imagine, not just on Instagram and Facebook, but on any platform out there,” a blog post from the tech giant said.
“The process of making videos can be challenging, often requiring multiple apps and complicated workarounds.
“With Edits, you now have a dedicated space with powerful capabilities for video creation.”
The move to introduce Edits is not the first time Meta has looked to capitalise on uncertainty around a social media rival.
In 2023, following Elon Musk’s controversial takeover of Twitter – now known as X – and during an early exodus of users and advertisers unhappy with Mr Musk’s approach to running the platform, Meta launched a Twitter-like microblogging platform, Threads, hoping to offer a viable alternative.