Instagram’s ‘Sharing to Reels’ feature opens up to all app developers

Meta has now introduced its own tool, the Sharing to Reels widget, accessible to all developers, shortly after TikTok unveiled its Direct Post developer feature. Direct Post simplifies video uploads from third-party apps. The move mirrors TikTok’s Direct Post, enabling a variety of video editing apps to contribute content to Meta’s short-form video platform, positioning Meta as a strong competitor.

In November of the previous year, Instagram initiated a limited alpha test for its Sharing to Reels integration, collaborating with various app developers such as Lightricks (Videoleap), Reface, Smule, VivaVideo, SNOW, B612, VITA, and Zoomerang. During the initial phase, the company intended to expand the trial to more partners in 2023 without specifying a precise timeframe.

Today, Instagram has broadened access to the Sharing to Reels feature, allowing any app interested in integrating it to facilitate users in swiftly exporting videos to Instagram Reels with a simple tap. Previously, users had to export their videos from the third-party app to their device before re-uploading them to Instagram Reels.

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To utilize this feature, users create and edit their videos within the third-party app, and then click the share button upon completion. Subsequently, they tap the Instagram Reels icon, which redirects them to the Instagram Camera interface. Here, they can further customize their reel with audio, effects, voiceovers, and stickers. Users can also record or upload additional clips to supplement their existing video. To complete the upload process, users click “Next” to add captions, hashtags, locations, or tags, and then hit “Share” to publish their content.

According to Meta, during the initial testing phase, Smule, one of the early adopters, experienced a remarkable 150% surge in shared content. While similar metrics for other alpha test partners were not disclosed, Meta emphasized the convenience and time-saving aspects of the feature. It highlighted that the reels exported through this method would be visible through public recommendations on Instagram’s Reels and Explore tabs, providing users with broader exposure. Additionally, users have the option to share their content via Stories and direct messages, enhancing the content’s reach.

It is noteworthy that Meta has also introduced a comparable integration, enabling the direct sharing of videos from third-party apps to Facebook Reels, which was announced in the previous year.

Despite not announcing any new partners, Meta has granted developers access to this feature in order to integrate it into their apps.

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In contrast, TikTok’s Direct Post feature had partnered with several prominent apps, including those supporting AI editing such as Adobe’s AI-powered video editing software Premiere Pro and its AI creativity app Adobe Express. Other Direct Post partners included Twitch, SocialPilot, and ByteDance’s CapCut.