*New York (CNN) — Instagram has made changes that appear to be aimed at attracting TikTok users, while the short-video app’s future will now be decided by its new American-based owners.
Adam Mosseri, head of the Meta-owned platform, said on Friday that Instagram’s profile photo grids will now display images as rectangles, rather than the app’s signature squares — a layout that’s notably similar to how profile pages look on TikTok.
Mosseri said Instagram will increase the maximum length for Reels videos from 90 seconds to three minutes — following the lead of TikTok, which began pushing users to post longer videos in 2023.
“We’ve historically only allowed reels up to 90 seconds given our focus on short-form video, but we’ve heard the feedback that this is just too short for those who want to share longer stories,” Mosseri said Saturday in an Instagram post.
Scroll to continue reading
Instagram did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on the changes.
Since it gained popularity in 2020, TikTok has posed a major competitive threat to Instagram — drawing away users’ attention and time and forcing the older app to rework its algorithm. Instagram first launched Reels in the United States in August 2020, days after former and current President Donald Trump announced plans to ban TikTok in the country.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
(If You Like/Appreciate This EURweb Story, Please SHARE it!)
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Peacock Docuseries Explores Black Quarterbacks’ NFL Legacy | Watch Trailer
We Publish Breaking News 24/7. Don’t Miss Out! Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
