Instagram is testing a big change to its “Stories” feature, which allows users to post photos and short videos that stay live for 24 hours. The photo-based social network is testing allowing the maximum length of videos on Stories to 60 seconds.
As noted by an Instagram user in Turkey (shared by 9to5Mac) the social network’s app is now notifying a few users about the change.
Discover longer stories. Videos up to 60 seconds will no longer be segmented.
At the moment, users that record or upload a video longer than 15 seconds, will see the video automatically be split into multiple different Stories. However, if the change is rolled out to all Instagram users, they will be able to post videos to Stories that are up to 60 seconds long with no split.
The social network is also testing an updated interface for posting Stories that will make it easier to mention other accounts or add a location to a post. It hasn’t been confirmed as to when the new features will roll out to all users around the world. At the moment, the longer Stories feature is only available to a select few users.
Instagram’s move comes as competitors TikTok and Snapchat become more popular. Snapchat recently introduced a new standalone app for creators to edit their videos.