Instagram is reportedly considering spinning off Reels into its own standalone app. According to The Information, Instagram head Adam Mosseri recently floated the idea with staff, suggesting that a dedicated Reels platform could be Meta’s latest strategy to take on TikTok directly. While no formal plans have been confirmed, the possibility raises some important questions for marketers. Would a separate Reels app strengthen Meta’s video offering, or could it end up weakening Instagram’s overall ecosystem?

Why Is Meta Considering a Standalone Reels App?

The timing is telling. TikTok’s future in the United States remains uncertain, with national security concerns prompting ongoing discussions about potential restrictions. The Biden administration has cited fears that TikTok’s Chinese ownership could allow for surveillance or political interference. If legislation moves forward, and TikTok is banned or forced to sell, Meta is positioning itself to capture any displaced audience.

Meta has attempted similar moves before. In 2018, it launched Lasso to compete with TikTok, only to shut it down after struggling to attract users. Instagram also introduced IGTV as a separate app, designed to focus on long-form vertical video. Despite heavy promotion, IGTV failed to sustain audience interest and was eventually folded back into the main Instagram experience. Both examples highlight the challenge of pulling users away from an established platform and convincing them to embrace a standalone alternative.

Why Separate Reels from Instagram?

Reels has become one of Meta’s fastest-growing products. Across Instagram and Facebook, Reels content drives over 200 billion daily views, powered in large part by AI-driven recommendations. More than half of the posts in Instagram feeds now come from accounts users do not follow, with Reels playing a key role in this discovery-driven experience. The extension of Reels to three minutes has only increased the variety of content available.

A standalone Reels app could provide several benefits. For one, it might help declutter Instagram itself. Long-time users often say the platform has drifted from its roots as a photo-sharing app, with the feed now an increasingly busy mix of videos, Stories, shopping features, and recommendations. Moving Reels into a separate space could allow Instagram to refocus on its original strengths, while giving video creators a dedicated home optimised for short-form content.

The Advertising Opportunity

From a commercial perspective, a standalone Reels app could unlock a significant amount of new ad inventory. Reels ads within Instagram already offer brands premium full-screen placements with high engagement potential. A separate app would expand these opportunities, creating a video-first environment where ads are seamlessly integrated into an endless scroll of content.

This could open the door to new formats, such as interactive branded challenges, shoppable video ads, or expanded sponsorship opportunities for trending content. With TikTok’s ad business growing rapidly, Meta will be eager to offer brands a competitive alternative, particularly if TikTok’s position in key markets like the US becomes unstable.

However, this opportunity comes with challenges. For advertisers, the value of this new inventory would depend on whether the standalone Reels app can attract a large, engaged audience. Without strong daily usage, additional inventory could dilute campaign performance rather than enhance it. There is also the risk of audience overlap. If users are simply splitting their time between Instagram and a separate Reels app, brands could end up paying more to reach the same people, with added complexity in managing campaigns across multiple platforms.

The Risks for Instagram

Despite the potential upside, spinning off Reels carries significant risks. Reels is a major driver of Instagram engagement. Removing it from the main app could reduce the time people spend on Instagram, weakening its appeal to both users and advertisers. Fragmenting the experience could frustrate audiences, and creators may hesitate to divide their efforts across two similar platforms.

There is also history to consider. IGTV and Lasso both failed to take hold, despite the scale of Meta’s audience and marketing power. TikTok’s success has come from delivering a single, focused experience. Meta, by contrast, already asks users to navigate multiple platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Adding another app to the mix might create more friction than value.

What Happens Next?

For now, the idea of a standalone Reels app remains an internal discussion. However, the fact that Meta is exploring this path suggests how seriously it is treating short-form video as the future of social media engagement. With TikTok’s position under threat in some markets, Meta may see this as the right moment to double down.

For brands and marketers, this is a development worth watching closely. Reels is becoming an increasingly important part of Meta’s advertising ecosystem. Whether it stays within Instagram or moves into its own space, understanding how to leverage Reels effectively will remain crucial to digital strategy in 2025 and beyond