Instagram’s new Reels Visual Replies are just another feature copied from TikTok

Instagram has added another strikingly familiar feature to Reels: the ability to add a user comment to a video (via TechCrunch). Now, if a user comments on a reel you’ve posted, tapping the “reply” button will let you add a sticker of the comment into a new reel, which you can then move around or change its color.

As Twitter users pointed out in the comments of Instagram’s announcement post, the feature is very similar to how TikTok lets you do video replies. As of now, it seems limited to just comments on your reels — I wasn’t able to make stickers out of comments on photo posts or comments on other peoples’ reels.

Since its launch in August 2020 (when we called it “similar to TikTok”), Instagram’s tweaks and additions have made the two platforms feel more and more alike. The maximum time limit for Reels was bumped up a few times, reaching the one-minute mark in July (just after TikTok raised its max length from one minute to three). Instagram also lets you “remix” reels, similar to TikTok’s “duet” feature, and it just recently added the text-to-speech and voice effect features that have been a staple for TikTok.

Even if Reels Visual Replies aren’t original, it’s nice to see that Instagram’s adopting the feature. It’s a fun way to interact with your audience, and while it may not be the thing that gets creators to jump over from TikTok (it’s certainly not as enticing as Instagram’s up-to $35,000 bonuses for posting Reels), it’s at least one fewer thing that’s missing from Meta’s version of the app.