What you need to know
- Instagram is launching a new app, Edits, that will immediately become a CapCut competitor when it launches next month.
- You can pre-order the app on the Apple App Store now, with Google Play Store availability to follow.
- This is the latest move by Meta in a string of changes aimed to capitalize on the uncertainty surrounding TikTok and ByteDance apps, including CapCut.
Meta and Instagram are hoping to capitalize on the uncertainty surrounding ByteDance apps by teasing a new one of their own: Edits. Many creators and indie video editors were shocked when CapCut, a popular vertical editing software, was affected by the TikTok ban enacted Sunday, Jan. 19. The new Edits app is a direct competitor to CapCut announced by Instagram head Adam Mosseri on the very same day the ban of ByteDance apps took effect.
In an Instagram Reels video announcing the new app, Mosseri directly acknowledged the timing of the move. "There’s a lot going on right now, but no matter what happens, it’s our job to provide the best possible tools for creators," he wrote.
"Edits, an Instagram app" is already available for pre-order on the Apple App Store, but is not listed on the Google Play Store yet. Mosseri says Edits won't become available for download until next month. The Instagram exec said that Edits will be "coming to Android soon," but it's unclear whether it'll launch on the Play Store at the same time the iOS app becomes available for download next month.
Described by Mosseri as "a full suite of creative tools," the App Store listing for Edits sheds some light on what we can expect from Meta's newest app.
"Make videos you’re proud to share with Edits, the new video creation app from Instagram," the App Store listing reads. "Edits is a free video editor that makes it easy for creators to turn their ideas into videos, right on their phone. It has all the tools you need to support your creation process, all in one place."
Meta is clearly trying to gain user base and momentum in light of the questionable future for ByteDance apps. TikTok became available in the U.S. Sunday following a brief shutdown after earning incoming President Donald Trump's blessing. However, other apps — including CapCut — appear to still be unavailable.
Additionally, there are multiple legal requirements that must be met for TikTok and ByteDance apps to earn a more permanent extension, and full compliance in the U.S. Until those hurdles, as outlined in the U.S. law banning the apps, are crossed, TikTok and other ByteDance apps are far from out of the woods.
By teasing an Edits app, doubling the maximum length of Instagram Reels, and adding other features, Instagram is looking to take advantage of an unfortunate situation for one of its biggest competitors. It's not the first time Meta used this strategy to launch a competing social media app. Meta launched Threads, a Twitter rival, when Elon Musk's changes to X left users scurrying from the platform.
