Instagram has started testing 60-second videos in stories, so now long videos will no longer be divided into 15-second snippets.

Instagram comments on the update:

“Users want the ability to create longer stories. We’re excited to start testing 60-second stories so people can create and view stories without being distracted.”

Instagram is testing 60-second stories on a small group of users.

In fact, this is a very important change that could lead to the merging of the Stories and Reels format, as happened with video posts and IGTV. Right now, Instagram has several main sections – the main feed and the Stories feed above it, as well as the Reels feeds.

Against the backdrop of Instagram’s main competitor, TikTok, which has both videos and live feeds in one feed, the Instagram app looks overloaded. That’s why, back in January of this year, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri outlined a way to simplify the app.