Facebook said on Tuesday that all of its platform’s videos will soon be posted as reels, no matter how long or short they are, or which orientation they’re in. Previously, users could post both video posts and reels. The company is also rebranding the “Video” tab on its platform to the “Reels” tab. The change will not alter what videos are suggested to you, Facebook explains.
In the future, users won’t need to make a decision between uploading a reel or video, as it will automatically publish as a reel. Reels on Facebook also won’t have length or format limitations. (Currently, Facebook reels are limited to 90 seconds.)
The concept behind the alteration is to simplify the video-sharing format on the social platform. It won’t be the initial time that a Meta-owned service has done this, because Instagram started automatically turning new video posts shorter than 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 shift is certain to irk some consumers, because it will pose some difficulty.
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For instance, it might be frustrating to share a horizontal video if it gets uploaded in a vertical reels format. And besides, users might not desire seeing longer videos interspersed with short videos.
As a part of the change, users’ default setting will now be the same for Feed and reels. When users begin to post reels after the change, they will be asked to acknowledge their audience setting in order to decide whom their reels will be visible to: everyone, their friends, or a limited group of people.
After the update, Facebook indicates that it will continue to be a space for all types of video content, whether it is short, long, or Live.
Facebook says it will roll out the changes gradually worldwide over the coming months.