Instagram gets roasted after reports of a separate Reels app: "That's all insta already is anyway"

Instagram is reportedly working on a standalone Reels app because putting it inside Instagram was not sufficient. Project Ray is the new plan to catch short-form video fame without getting blown over, as per The Information.

We knew social media wasn’t gonna let this one slide. X went feral with a big ol’ ugh, not another app to deal with. Users are saying it’s just Instagram with extra steps. Others called it a full-on downgrade.

A user stated:

"That's all insta already is anyway😭"

What do you mean by a 'new' app? Instagram has been Reels all along.

Another user said:

"bro I can’t take it anymore with all these apps 😩"

This user has reached the breaking point of managing apps.

One user humorously suggested:

"Combine it with Threads and call it Threels"

There. We just did Meta’s branding team a favor.

Serving a roast, a user said:

"For what? So people can have a dedicated app to scroll thru weeks-old TikToks?"

So basically, an archive app for TikTok trends?

Adding fuel to the fire, a user mentioned:

"There really isn’t anything new under the sun huh? Everyone just copies everyone else and it all goes in cycles."

Summing up the entire tech industry in one sentence is brutal.

One more user quipped:

"At this point, IG is just speedrunning the tiktok playbook 😅"

Instagram watching TikTok’s every move like it’s a tutorial.

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A new app for Instagram Reels

Reels first dropped in 2020. Fast forward to today, and Reels has leveled up to claim a solid 20% of Instagram users’ time.

But Meta now wants to push Reels out of the Instagram nest and see if it can fly on its own.

A risky move, given their history, includes both Messenger (huge success) and Lasso (big ol' faceplant).

The big gamble is that people will gladly download yet another app, just to do the very same thing they've been doing on Instagram.

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Chasing the TikTok throne

Meta smells blood in the water. TikTok has been dodging regulatory fireballs left and right in the United States, with lawmakers after its China-based parent company, ByteDance.

If a ban were ever to occur (big IF), Reels might swoop in like a hero in a cape—or at least, that's what Instagram is banking on.

And to heat things up, Meta is also experimenting with a new editing app called Edits, which suspiciously resembles ByteDance's CapCut.

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Big risks, bigger rewards?

Naturally, launching a new app isn't all rainbows and smooth scrolling.

Meta has had its share of "oops" moments (hello, Lasso). And getting users to switch from a feature within Instagram to an entirely new app is not quite a slam dunk.

But Meta's timing is good. Short-form video is essentially the internet's money, anticipated to account for 82% of all traffic by 2025, as per Your Story.

And if TikTok keeps playing hopscotch with imminent bans, Reels might become the go-to rebound.

Particularly in countries such as India, where TikTok is already banned and Reels has already taken off.