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| Facebook is testing Tik Tok-style videos in its main app |
After several attempts to imitate Chinese apps, Facebook has begun testing a new feature that the popular short video app (TikTok) can imitate in its main app.
The social media giant launched a simulation app called (Lasso) but changed it and recently added a simulation feature (Tik Tok) under the name (Reels) to the Instagram app. It has also been tested to allow users to share short videos in its main app.
The company confirmed to TechCrunch that it will test the short video feature in its Facebook app in India, as the company has the largest number of users in the world. Facebook has added a new section for "Short Videos" on its "Latest News" page. At the top of this section there is a Create button. Click this button to launch the app camera which will allow users to create a short video clip and view the posted video in the new section.
A Facebook spokesperson told TechCrunch, "We are constantly testing new creative tools to understand how people express themselves. Short videos are very popular and we are looking for new ways to present this experience to people. You can be on Facebook. To connect, create and share."
This testing took place while Facebook continues to leverage ByteDance's proprietary TikTok (the app is owned by ByteDance). TikTok was banned by the Indian government in late June. Facebook launched the (Rails) feature in India last month, less than two weeks after launching it in dozens of other markets. A person familiar with the matter said: Since TikTok was banned, daily engagement on Facebook services in India has increased by more than 25%.
Dozens of local startups like ShareChat and MX Player, backed by Twitter, have launched standalone apps or built-in features to replicate the social experience that TikTok has provided to users over the past few weeks. The local app claims to have gained tens of millions of new users during that time.
YouTube has also rolled out a similar feature to more users in India in the past few weeks and it's still in beta.