Short videos on social media have been quite popular, and Instagram has been competing against TikTok with its reels. However, TikTok allows its users to download videos on their devices, and now Meta’s Instagram allows its users to download short videos on mobile.
Until now, Instagram didn’t have a download reels feature, but with a future update, Instagram will allow users to download reels on their mobile devices. This feature is currently available to users in the US and will be rolled out to other regions in the coming months.
How to Download Reels Using the Instagram App
This feature is quite similar to TikTok’s download feature and is straightforward to use with the following instructions:
- Click on the Share button for the reel you want to download.
- Next, choose the Download icon to save the video to your storage.
However, the downloaded video will have a watermark with the Instagram logo and the account username.
This feature will help Instagram grow further. Previously, users could save and bookmark content, including reels, and there was a dedicated place to save Instagram content called Collections. With Instagram Reels, Meta has generated 3% YoY revenue growth in the first quarter of 2023.
We also note that users can only download reels on mobile, not on the web. Users can also download reels from public Instagram accounts, not private ones. Meanwhile, private Instagram users can choose whether they want other users to download their reels.