Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/30/instagram-tests-reels-pause-feature-as-tiktok-remains-in-limbo.html

by grajaganDev • 1 year ago

17 41 1 year ago

cnbc.com

grajaganDev• 1 year ago

Letting users pause a Reels video. Hard to believe this wasn't case all along.

This is user hostile:

"Previously, users have only been able to pause videos on Instagram Reels by tapping and holding on their screen."

TheAceOfHearts• 1 year ago

In TikTok holding the screen causes it to play at 2x, they should probably reuse the same gesture to make user adoption smoother.

But still... A feature announcement for a fucking pause button is deranged.

niek_pas• 1 year ago

With enough 200k/year engineers, perhaps one day Instagram will build a video player _almost_ as good as Youtube was in 2006.

jeisc• 1 year ago

the goal is to force behavior onto users like Pavlov's dogs using B. F. Skinner Psychology

edarchis• 1 year ago

Pause and rewind have been features since the phonograph. Vinyl and tapes could do it. Youtube did it (yet somehow they botched it for YT Shorts). Tiktok did it. Now Instagram feels like they invented something...

netsharc2• 1 year ago

On the web YouTube, one can change the /shorts/ in the URL to /v/ to get the standard and not the "This is a TikTok-clone" interface.

On Android one can install NewPipe and have a better experience (then again, yesterday NewPipe failed to load any video for me, I guess YouTube updated their obfuscation code).

pjc502• 1 year ago

I'd always assumed these anti-features were intentional. For example, making it hard to pause reels causes them to roll over to the advert reel which is inserted between every two reels.

pbmonster• 1 year ago

Par for the course, really. Still can't zoom into images on Instagram, can you?

The one and only supported image resolution is also lower than any of the screens I use.

The app is really hard to believe from a technical perspective, in general.

pjc502• 1 year ago

You can pinch-zoom on mobile, but only while you're holding it down. I suspect again this is intentional and the two go together - they don't want you zooming in on limited resolution images, that'll look even worse.

nicce• 1 year ago

You can’t fast-forward/scroll any video in Instagram and it is by design. To get users stay on the platform as long as possible. And it works.

lm28469• 1 year ago

hm? Just drag the white bar at the bottom of the video

Elfener2• 1 year ago

I have an userscript installed that turns the instagram video player into a regular html one, so in case I end up clicking an instagram link, I don't go insane while trying to watch something.

scotty79• 1 year ago

Same. Mine also Auto-Pauses video at the start.

Traubenfuchs• 1 year ago

I have that for youtube shorts.

Seeing them turned into regular videos shows how ridiculously stupid their format and user experience is.

TheChaplain• 1 year ago

I've almost stopped using Instagram, these days I get ads that block scrolling on pictures or stories, it's simply not enjoyable anymore.

TheCapeGreek• 1 year ago

Am I missing something or hallucinating? Pretty sure I've always been able to pause reels on desktop and mobile. Instagram Lite lacked this functionality.

Lack of a progress bar you can skip through is what's been missing compared to TikTok.

Or was this just not a thing for US users specifically?

RamblingCTO• 1 year ago

I also had this some time ago and then it was gone. Maybe just A/B testing?

dixie_land• 1 year ago

Yup, noticed I had it come n go over last year

SpaghettiCthulu• 1 year ago

I've only been able to pause by tapping and holding on the screen. And that only pauses while you keep holding. Also, for me, most reels have a progress bar you can drag around at the bottom, but there are some that just don't for whatever reason.

bsnnkv• 1 year ago

Trying to use Reels after experiencing the (superior) UX of TikTok was hard enough, but trying to use Reels after experiencing the UX of XHS is pretty much impossible for me.

noobcoder• 1 year ago

What's XHS?

7jjjjjjj• 1 year ago

Xiaohingshu AKA Rednote

EverForever• 1 year ago

Can someone explain to me why Meta or whoever doesn't just copy TikTok 1to1 with a new name? If TikTok really stops running in the usa, they would have an alternative product instead of Instagram reels and YouTube shorts, both of which obviously can't catch on.

moshun• 1 year ago

Meta has basically copied TikTok as an 1:1 app at least twice, the most recent being Lasso. The problem most of these many companies trying to emulate TikTok’s success is that the UI/UX and content delivery aren’t the secret sauce. It’s a near bulletproof algorithm that needs comparatively little time to lock in your preferences. Add in the fact that TikTok really doesn’t encourage or reward following creators, it makes for a natural conflict with some of Meta’s base models for operation that they have trouble addressing.

That’s why some suggest that the recent regulatory assaults, cozying up to would be dictators and forced changing of ownership to American corporations is just manufactured corporate raiding by competitors that can’t keep up.

Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

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