Instagram has unveiled a new video-editing app called Edits, a day after rival ByteDance apps TikTok and CapCut went offline in the United States following a Supreme Court ruling upholding their ban.
Instagram head, Adam Mosseri, announced the launch of the app in a video on Sunday, stating that it will be released on March 13.
The app, owned by Meta, will feature advanced tools such as a high-quality camera, video editing capabilities, the ability to share drafts, and Instagram analytics to track video performance.
Mosseri highlighted that Edits will also allow creators to produce content for platforms other than Instagram. “There’s a lot going on right now, but no matter what happens, it’s our job to provide the best possible tools for creators,” Mosseri said.
The announcement comes as Meta ramps up efforts to capitalise on uncertainties surrounding TikTok’s future. On Sunday, sponsored ads for Instagram appeared on the iOS App Store targeting users searching for TikTok, according to Bloomberg. The ads, however, were removed later in the evening.
TikTok, owned by ByteDance, was taken down on US app stores on Sunday following the Supreme Court’s decision to enforce a national ban.
However, the app resumed operations just 12 hours after becoming inaccessible to users, following a pledge by President-elect Donald Trump to restore the popular platform.
Outgoing President Joe Biden signed the TikTok ban into law in April 2024 over national security concerns tied to ByteDance’s Chinese ownership. The company’s appeal to overturn the decision failed last week, leading to the apps’ removal.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has indicated plans to issue an executive order to extend the enforcement timeline for TikTok’s ban after his inauguration on Monday. However, it remains unclear if this move would also affect other ByteDance apps like CapCut and Lemon8.
Edits is already available for preorder on the iOS App Store and is set to compete with existing video-editing tools such as Adobe’s Premiere Rush and ByteDance’s CapCut, which is now blocked in the US.
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