Instagram says it wasn’t trying to block Reels exports and will fix sound issue

Instagram says it wasn’t trying to block Reels exports and will fix sound issue

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Instagram says it wasn’t intentionally trying to stop creators from filming in its app and then exporting their videos to other platforms like TikTok. The Verge reported this week that sound was being stripped from video clips exported from the Instagram Reels edit screen for iPhone users, meaning you had to fully publish a Reel in order to properly save it. Now, Instagram’s owner, Meta, says this was a bug and that it intends to fix the issue.

“Due to a bug, the Reels download feature is not working as intended for iOS users and in some cases, audio is missing in downloads — we’re working to fix the issue as soon as possible,” Seine Kim, a spokesperson from Meta, said in an email to The Verge.

This fix will be important for creators who prefer to edit outside of TikTok’s rudimentary editing screen. Instagram Reels’ download feature is a useful way to add filters, like green screen, onto footage that you plan to use in other apps.

While Meta intends to fix this bug, short-form video platforms are taking plenty of other shots in an attempt to get eyes on their platform. YouTube Shorts now watermarks videos when they’re exported, and Instagram previously said it would reduce distribution of videos that originated on other platforms. Plus, it’s only a matter of time until Instagram’s TikTok-esque features make their return.