In a recent announcement, Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram announced that Instagram will permit users worldwide to download public Reels directly to their devices. Prior to this update, users could only store Reels within the Instagram app for later viewing.
During a broadcast on his Instagram channel, Mosseri explained that the downloaded Reels will feature an Instagram watermark, including the account name, similar to the watermarks seen on TikTok videos.
To download a reel, users can tap on the share button and choose the download option. Additionally, account owners have the option to disable downloading for their Reels, which can be adjusted in Settings > Privacy > Reels and Remix by toggling the 'Allow people to download your Reels' option.
The announcement also mentioned that while downloading a Reel containing a licensed audio clip, the downloaded video will lack audio. Only Reels with original audio tracks will retain the sound in the downloaded clip.
This expansion of Reels download capability follows the initial introduction for U.S.-based users in June. In 2021, Instagram ceased recommending videos with a TikTok watermark, and in August 2022, YouTube implemented a logo-based watermark on downloaded Shorts to discourage cross-platform sharing.