Facebook has said that all videos on its platform will soon be shared as Reels. At the moment, you can share videos as a video from the post composer. The other option is to share it as a Reel. That will change in the coming months as “all videos on Facebook will be shared as reels,” according to a blog post.
Despite length or orientation, users will not be able to choose between uploading a video or Reel. Further, Reels on Facebook will no longer have length or format restrictions. At present, Reels on Facebook can only be 90 seconds long.
Coming alongside the updates will be the renaming of the Video tab to Reels tab. “We still value a variety of topics and lengths on Facebook, and this update won’t change what videos we recommend to you, which are personalised based on your interests,” the company said.
Video content that you have already shared will remain on your profile or Page for your audience to enjoy, and creators will be eligible for distribution.
Last year, Meta announced an updated full-screen video player and Video Tab on Facebook, with a consistent design for all video lengths.
Earlier this year, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: “I’m excited this year to get back to some OG Facebook. This is also going to be a pivotal year for the metaverse.” He said the Meta “community keeps growing with more than 3.4 billion people now using at least one of our apps each day”.
The update could be criticised by some. For example, some may find it annoying to post a horizontal video if it gets uploaded into a vertical Reels format. Also, having longer videos in Reels may not go down well with everyone.
“Your default setting will now be the same for Feed and Reels publishing formats on Facebook. When you begin posting reels after this change, you’ll be prompted to confirm your audience setting or select a new one if your Feed posts and reels have different settings,” said Meta.