Facebook announced on Tuesday that all videos on its platform will soon be shared as reels, regardless of their length or orientation. Up until now, users have been able to share both video posts and reels. The company is also renaming the “Video” tab on its platform to the “Reels” tab. The update won’t change what videos are recommended to you, Facebook says.
In the coming months, users won’t have to choose between uploading a video or reel, as it will automatically be shared as a reel. In addition, reels on Facebook won’t be bound by length or format restrictions. (Currently, reels on Facebook can only be 90 seconds long.)
The idea behind the changes is to streamline the video-sharing format on the social network. It won’t be the first time that a Meta-owned platform has done so, as Instagram began automatically converting new video posts under 15 minutes into reels back in 2022.
“Previously, you’d upload a video to Feed or post a reel using different creative flows and tools for each format,” Facebook explained in a blog post. “Now, we’re bringing these experiences together with a simplified publishing flow that gives you access to even more creative tools. We’ll also give you control over your audience setting of who sees your reels.”
The change is likely to upset some users, as it may pose some challenges.
For example, it could be annoying to post a horizontal video if it gets uploaded into a vertical reels format. Plus, users may not want to see longer videos mixed in with short ones.
As part of the change, users’ default settings will now be the same for the Feed and reels. When users start to post reels after the change, they will be prompted to confirm their audience setting to determine who can see their reels: everyone, their friends, or a select group of people.
Following the update, Facebook says that it will remain a place for all sorts of video content, whether it’s short, long, or Live.
The company says it will gradually roll out the changes globally over the coming months.
