When it comes to short format video platforms, TikTok reigns supreme. As such, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts still have a ways to go before it can tempt people into switching.

In its attempt to make its offering more engaging, Instagram announced some changes to how video content will be shared on the platform moving forward.

To that, Instagram confirmed that any videos shorter than 15 minutes will now automatically be shared in short format solution. This only applies to content moving forward, however, so previously posted videos do not apply to the new change here.

“In the coming weeks, new video posts shorter than 15 minutes will be shared as reels. Videos posted prior to this change will remain as videos and won’t become reels,” Instagram explained in a blog post.

“If you have a public account, your new videos – now reels – may be eligible to be recommended and seen by more people on Instagram. This currently applies to reels that are under 90 seconds long. If your account is private, your reels will still only be shown to your followers,” the platform added.

Down the line Instagram will also be collating all video content under one tab on a user’s profile. “We’ll also consolidate the video and Reels tab on your profile, so there will be one home for all of your videos,” it noted.

As for why the new 15 minute limit was chosen, Instagram highlighted the importance of video a few weeks ago when it announced that it was testing out some new video-related features, with an estimated 20 percent of user time on the app being spent watching Reels.

As such, Instagram will want to get that figure up as it plans to get more people interested in its short format video offering. Whether it is enough to supplant TikTok or indeed keep ahead of Shorts, remains to be seen.