Instagram now lets you fast-forward Reels at 2x speed: Here’s how it works

Instagram Reels

Meta-owned Instagram has announced a new feature that reportedly allows users to fast-forward Reel videos at double speed. The move comes as a direct imitation of TikTok's popular playback option and lets users play a reel at 2x speed by long pressing on the right or left side of their screen.

According to a report by 9to5Mac, Instagram is now widely rolling out the ability to fast-forward Reels at 2x speed. The feature was much-requested by many Instagram users, and more so after the platform increased the Reels duration to up to 3 minutes a few months ago. This new video forwarding option would be beneficial for users who wish to watch longer reels in a short time.

TikTok added the 2x speed feature in 2023, and this isn't the first time Instagram has borrowed a feature from its rival. The social media platform had previously added a Remix tool that replicated TikTok's Duet functionality. The Reels fast forwarding feature is rolling out gradually to users through a new update to both iOS and Android users and is expected to be available to all users in the coming days.

In addition to this feature, Meta has also tweaked search results, which will now show photos and videos like TikTok instead of showing just hashtags, accounts, and places.