Instagram is investing in longer videos that it will call "Features," Adam Mosseri said in a post on Instagram on October 26. The video is a conversation with Tessa Lyons, Instagram's VP of product.

What Instagram says

  • The name: Mosseri's caption says "we're investing in longer videos, which we're going to call Features."
  • Still early: the caption says "It's early, and we're testing and listening to feedback as we go."
  • The pitch: Instagram wants "to give creators more room to tell their stories with the communities they've already built here."
  • More coming: the caption ends "More to come." The post also covers how Features fit with Reels, Series, Live and TV, and a widescreen version is posted too.

A change of position

Mosseri has been against longform video on Instagram "for a long time," The Verge reported. In the roughly 6.5-minute video, he says one concern was keeping Instagram "not just about entertainment, but about connecting with friends."

The team is now working to make short and long video "symbiotic." The example given is a podcast or comedy special that can be a long video and also be broken into shorter ones.

Where it is being tested

An Instagram spokesperson said Features are expanding to the US in a small test. They are also being tested with some creators in Brazil. Instagram is also testing clips that point to a long video, a way for creators to make a "series" of Reels, and better discovery of live video.

Reported details Instagram has not confirmed

The Hollywood Reporter reportedly says the videos can run up to 90 minutes, are horizontal, and are open to selected US creators. It also reportedly says they can be linked from short Reels, are aimed at podcasters, comedians and other long-form creators, and that Instagram plans tens of thousands of creators in the US test.

We could not open that article and saw only search snippets. The 90-minute limit, the selected-creator plan and the tens-of-thousands figure are not in Mosseri's caption or the other report above, so treat them as reported, not confirmed. The other report does mention clips that point to a long video.

What this means for you / what we checked

For most Instagram users, nothing changes yet. The test is small, and neither source we read gives a rollout date. We did not find anything on pay for creators, so we say nothing about it.

It is another sign of video apps moving toward each other. YouTube has been adding features of its own, such as GIFs in comments, a new Home top bar and talks on audiobooks.

We read Mosseri's post and caption and the first report in full. Everything about the 90-minute limit and the US creator plans is second-hand and labeled that way.