- Instagram announced a new video-editing app called Edits as TikTok and CapCut face US restrictions.
- Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced the tool, which will be released on March 13, on Sunday.
- Edits will offer video editing tools and analytics, Mosseri said.
Instagram announced a new video-editing app called “Edits” on Sunday, a day after rival ByteDance apps TikTok and CapCut went dark in the US.
The app is slated to be released on March 13, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced in a video posted on the platform. Meta owns Instagram.
Mosseri said the app will include a higher-quality camera, video editing tools, a feature to share drafts with others, and Instagram analytics on how those videos perform. The app can be used to make videos for platforms besides Instagram as well, he said.
“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.
Screenshot of iOS App Store
Meta also ran sponsored ads for Instagram on the iOS App Store for a few hours on Sunday, in another sign the tech giant is capitalizing on the lack of clarity regarding TikTok’s future. Users who typed “TikTok” saw an ad for Instagram, Bloomberg reported. The ads had stopped appearing as of late Sunday evening.
Meta did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the sponsored App Store ads. In addition to Instagram, Meta owns Facebook, Threads, and WhatsApp.
Edits is available for preorder on the iOS App Store, but it won’t be available to download until next month, Mosseri said.
The app stands to compete with existing video-editing platforms such as Adobe’s Premiere Rush and ByteDance’s CapCut, the latter of which is blocked and no longer available in US app stores. TikTok has restored its services in the US but is no longer available in app stores.
Last year, a bill to ban TikTok received bipartisan support in the House and Senate due to national security concerns with ByteDance’s Chinese ownership. Biden signed the TikTok ban bill into law in April 2024.
The company spent months challenging the law that required it to be divested or banned from the US before January 19. On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the ban.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to issue an executive order following his inauguration on Monday to extend the time before the TikTok ban is enforced. He did not mention if other ByteDance apps, such as CapCut and Lemon8, will return under this executive order.
