Instagram testing highly-requested Reels feature that TikTokers love
Unsplash: Alexander ShatovInstagram is testing a highly-requested feature for Reels to help lure TikTok users over to the Meta-owned app amid a potential ban from the US.
TikTok’s ban in the US took effect on January 19, 2025, but President Trump signed an order the next day delaying enforcement of the law.
Despite this, the TikTok app is still unavailable for download in the Google and Apple App Stores, causing some users to flock to eBay in an effort to buy new devices with the app installed.
Others, however, have made their way to alternative platforms like Instagram Reels, and now the Meta-owned platform is working to make their experience even better.
Instagram finally tests a Reels pause button
According to CNBC, Meta began testing the new pause feature on Instagram Reels with a small number of users at the end of January 2025.
The test brings one of the most-loved features from TikTok over to Instagram for the first time as users were previously only able to pause videos by tapping and holding on the screen.
Those with access to the new pause feature will now simply be able to tap on the screen to pause a video without having to hold it down. Before, tapping the screen once would mute the video but keep it playing in the background.
This is a feature that Reels users have called for over the last few years, but requests have skyrocketed ever since TikTok was removed from the App Stores.
“I just can’t get into Instagram reels. Why is this interface so bad. Why can’t I pause this. Does my algorithm on here really think this low of me?” one user commented on X.
“You can’t even pause shit on reels I do not wanna go to Instagram man,” a second user shared.
This isn’t the first thing Instagram has done to make itself more enticing to TikTokers ever since the January 19 ban, either. On January 21, Instagram began luring TikTok creators over to the app with bonuses ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.
However, creators would have to keep their content exclusively on Instagram for a set period of time, preventing them from cross-posting to TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and other social media platforms.