Instagram Conducts Trial of Picture-in-Picture Feature for Enhanced Reels Duration
Instagram, the popular social media platform, is taking a significant step towards enhancing user experience and staying competitive in the short-form video market. The company is currently live testing a Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature for Reels, allowing users to watch short videos while multitasking.
This move follows a similar trend set by rivals YouTube and TikTok, both of which have offered PiP as a standard playback feature, giving them an advantage in audience stickiness. By offering PiP, Instagram aims to remain competitive and become a central hub for entertainment and creator content.
The PiP feature for Reels is designed to improve retention metrics, which are closely tied to advertising revenue, by encouraging longer session times and more ad impressions. For creators, the PiP feature could increase completion rates for longer clips and reduce audience churn mid-scroll, thereby improving content performance and monetization potential.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, is accelerating usability updates that keep users engaged while layering in tools for advertisers and creators. This strategy reflects a broader effort to close competitive feature gaps. Meta's test of PiP for Reels is intended to increase watch time, reduce session drop-offs, and improve user retention.
Whether PiP becomes a permanent fixture will depend on user reception. If fully deployed, the PiP feature for Reels could strengthen Instagram's competitive standing in the short-form video market by boosting both engagement and monetization outcomes.
In addition to the PiP feature, Instagram has also introduced a new feature, Unlockable Reels, which marketers and creators should familiarize themselves with. The short-form video market is crowded, with engagement hinging on both algorithmic personalization and usability.
It's worth noting that Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, confirmed earlier this year that PiP was under exploration, responding to user questions on the feature. However, there is no publicly available information specifying who at Instagram oversees and coordinates the introduction of the Picture-in-Picture feature for Reels.
The move to test PiP for Reels signals Meta's ongoing focus on incremental optimizations that collectively enhance platform stickiness. As the competition in the short-form video market heats up, Instagram is positioning itself to remain a key player by continuously improving its features and user experience.
For more insights on the PiP feature and other updates on Instagram, stay tuned for updates. And if you're interested in learning more about Unlockable Reels, check out our article "Unlockable Reels Are Now Live on Instagram: Here's What Marketers and Creators Need to Know".
