What you need to know
- Instagram has added support for GIF comments on posts and Reels globally.
- The social media platform is also adding new Reels editing capabilities in the next few weeks.
- In India, Instagram is rolling out Gifts to help creators make money from their fan base.
There will now be even more opportunities for GIF armies to swarm the virtual corridors of Instagram. The social networking site announced that everyone across the world can now flood Instagram's comment section with these animated images.
Instagram already supports GIF comments in Stories, but the latest announcement means that GIFs are now spreading in the comments on both posts and Reels. Meta announced in a blog post that this feature is now available globally.
Once you open Instagram on mobile today, you'll notice a new GIF button on the right side of the text box. When you tap the icon, Giphy's library will be pulled up, so you can choose which GIF perfectly sums up your otherwise lengthy text comment.
GIF comments were first spotted in February in an apparent test, and they appeared for a few users at the time.
It's interesting that Instagram took so long to add support for GIF comments, whereas Meta's other services, such as Facebook, have had this feature for a long time. That said, this is a welcome addition for users, who can now use GIFs to add a more expressive and engaging touch to their comments.
In addition, Instagram Reels are gaining new editing capabilities, expanding a feature that was initially launched in April. With the latest update, you'll be able to split a video, adjust the speed of your clip, or replace a clip in your Reel without affecting the other clips. These new tools will be released globally in the next few weeks.
Meta launched these features during a product education workshop in its Mumbai office in India, where it's also rolling out Instagram Gifts. These gifts can be purchased with Stars, which are a virtual currency that can be bought in the Instagram app. While watching Reels, a user can send a gift to a creator, and the creator receives a portion of the revenue from the sale of the Stars.
