Facebook is bringing short-form Reels to its main app in the United States

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By Oliver Haslam
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Facebook Reels Banner
Facebook Reels Banner (Image credit: Facebook)

What you need to know

  • Facebook has announced it is bringing Reels to its app for the first time.
  • The Reels option will only be available in the United States for now.

Facebook today announced that it is bringing Reels to its main iPhone app, borrowing the feature from Instagram. A press release notes that Reels will only be available in the United States, with the aim being to bring "short form, entertaining video experiences and tools that have inspired creators on Instagram to more creators and audiences on the Facebook app."

Facebook says that Reels will consist of music, audio, and effects and that they'll be found in the News Feed and Groups.

Notably, Facebook is also giving creators a way to make money from their Facebook Reels in the same way they already do on Instagram.

As part of our commitment to invest over $1 billion in creators through 2022, we're also offering a new bonus program to help creators earn money when people view their reels. The Reels Play bonus pays eligible creators based on the performance of their reels, and will be available on both Facebook and Instagram.

People will be able to make use of an AR effect component when creating their Reels, while options to speed up and slow down video will also give creatives the tools they need to come up with something unique.

Anyone can create a reel on Facebook and become a creator on the global stage or just share them with friends and family. Simply create a reel from the top of Feed or while you're watching a reel and either select video clips from your camera roll or capture something new. You can also tap Reels at the top of News Feed or within a group's feed.

Those looking to get into using Reels can learn more about the changes over on the Facebook Newsroom post. Facebook might not be the best iPhone app for sharing short-form video right now, but that isn't going to stop Mark Zuckerberg's outfit from continuing to try and change that.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.