Instagram extends its Stories videos to 60 seconds

Instagram has officially begun testing 60-second videos in Stories, which means longer videos will no longer be broken into 15-second chunks and played across several Stories frames.

App researcher Alessandro Paluzzi gave this heads up, which is currently being seen by some users. According to Instagram,  the new update, which allows users to make post longer Stories videos, has been greatly desired by our community.

It is presently being explored with a small group of users, and the goal is to allow for more creative freedom and better integration of the app’s numerous video possibilities in order to streamline its creative tools and features.

That is, after all, the primary objective. With a view to better aiding creativity, CEO Adam Mosseri hinted in January that Instagram’s tools would be integrated and streamlined. Starting with the consolidation of its video feed posts into a single format earlier this month, coupled with the discontinuation of the IGTV brand, the company is attempting to streamline its operations.

The company’s re-thinking of its approach has been heavily affected by TikTok, which has risen to become the most popular social app among young users, surpassing Instagram as the place to be seen as hip and happening.

TikTok’s main appeal is its simplicity – when you start the app, you are presented with a full-screen feed of video clips and live-streams, all of which have been merged into a single, optimised, focused listing that is personalised to the individual user.

On Instagram, Reels have their own feed, and Stories have their own section. Therefore, Instagram is now attempting to combine all of these components in order to display the best in each in a more interesting stream.

A further step in this gradual integration is the addition of 60-second video clips to IG Stories. At some point, this will likely result in the app opening to a full-screen feed that includes Stories as well as feed posts and Reels in one place, allowing IG, like TikTok, to use the full breadth of uploaded content to maximise user engagement.

Although it is still a long way off, longer films will allow users to post complete Reels to Stories, for example, thus integrating the two functionalities. That leaves just establishing how it will transition from the regular feed to a more Stories/Reels-oriented one in the near future.

In terms of the app’s usefulness, this is a major step forward. The fact is that it will happen and that it will happen sooner rather than later as part of Meta’s greater strategy of regaining the trust of younger users.

The new test is therefore an important step. You may expect to see longer Stories videos on your Instagram app in the near future, albeit for the time being, they will be limited to 30 seconds.