Just one day after introducing a revamped profile design and Reels up to three minutes long, Instagram surprises again with the announcement of a new editing app called Edits. This seems to be a direct response to the popular CapCut app by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. If you think this is mere coincidence, consider the timing: the new app was unveiled precisely as the US market temporarily said goodbye to CapCut and TikTok following a 12-hour ban.
Adam Mosseri, Instagram's CEO, announced the new app in a video shared on the social network. According to him, Edits offers a wide range of creative editing tools, including a green screen, video layers, and high-quality camera functionality. Additionally, the app will feature a dashboard with real-time insights on video performance, details on follower engagement and new followers, and metrics on the skip frequency for specific videos.
Responding to Chris Welch from The Verge on Threads, Mosseri said that Meta has been working on the app "for months." He added that it "will be quite different from CapCut," explaining that "Edits will have a much broader range of creative tools and likely a smaller target audience."
The app is now available for pre-order on the iOS App Store and will soon be available for Android as well. However, it won’t be available for download until next month. In the meantime, Instagram will work with a select group of video creators to gather feedback and enhance the user experience.