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Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

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Re: Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

#21

Post by joseda-hg »

Elfener wrote: post #8
unsnap_biceps wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nah, being unable to pause just means they get way more minutes of viewing when people put down their phone to do something. It just sits there and plays, earning that sweet sweet ad money.

I've always found this weird - when I put my phone down I hit the power button to turn the screen off/lock it.

This might not always stop playback, for example with YT Premium, I think it also applies to shorts, maybe only when in PiP mode? I can't recall, but I'm pretty sure, I've encountered it, somewhat inconsistently

Re: Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

#22

Post by joseda-hg »

netsharc wrote: post #19
lm28469 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

hm? Just drag the white bar at the bottom of the video

Curiously some Reels videos don't have this white bar. Nor do "Story" (i.e. the "we stole this from Snapchat" ephemeral content) videos. Also it's possible to add videos as a "post" (the OG data model), and they're not reels, and these don't seem to have scrolling capability. Gotta love the "Let's just throw a bunch of crap onto this thing" architectural design. I remember when Reels (the part that is full of reposte…

I'm pretty sure this is length based, other products don't let you scrub on shorts that are too short

Re: Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

#23

Post by RamblingCTO »

TheCapeGreek wrote: post #13

Am I missing something or hallucinating? Pretty sure I've always been able to pause reels on desktop and mobile. Instagram Lite lacked this functionality. Lack of a progress bar you can skip through is what's been missing compared to TikTok. Or was this just not a thing for US users specifically?

I also had this some time ago and then it was gone. Maybe just A/B testing?

Re: Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

#24

Post by moshun »

EverForever wrote: post #20

Can someone explain to me why Meta or whoever doesn't just copy TikTok 1to1 with a new name? If TikTok really stops running in the usa, they would have an alternative product instead of Instagram reels and YouTube shorts, both of which obviously can't catch on.

Meta has basically copied TikTok as an 1:1 app at least twice, the most recent being Lasso. The problem most of these many companies trying to emulate TikTok’s success is that the UI/UX and content delivery aren’t the secret sauce. It’s a near bulletproof algorithm that needs comparatively little time to lock in your preferences. Add in the fact that TikTok really doesn’t encourage or reward following creators, it makes for a natural conflict with some of Meta’s base models for operation that they have trouble addressing.

That’s why some suggest that the recent regulatory assaults, cozying up to would be dictators and forced changing of ownership to American corporations is just manufactured corporate raiding by competitors that can’t keep up.

Re: Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

#25

Post by pjc50 »

pbmonster wrote: post #14
grajaganDev wrote: post #2

Letting users pause a Reels video. Hard to believe this wasn't case all along. This is user hostile: "Previously, users have only been able to pause videos on Instagram Reels by tapping and holding on their screen."

Par for the course, really. Still can't zoom into images on Instagram, can you? The one and only supported image resolution is also lower than any of the screens I use. The app is really hard to believe from a technical perspective, in general.

You can pinch-zoom on mobile, but only while you're holding it down. I suspect again this is intentional and the two go together - they don't want you zooming in on limited resolution images, that'll look even worse.

Re: Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

#26

Post by Traubenfuchs »

Elfener wrote: post #6

I have an userscript installed that turns the instagram video player into a regular html one, so in case I end up clicking an instagram link, I don't go insane while trying to watch something.

I have that for youtube shorts.

Seeing them turned into regular videos shows how ridiculously stupid their format and user experience is.

Re: Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

#27

Post by nickthegreek »

lm28469 wrote: post #16
nicce wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can’t fast-forward/scroll any video in Instagram and it is by design. To get users stay on the platform as long as possible. And it works.

hm? Just drag the white bar at the bottom of the video

infinitely worse than tiktoks design.

Re: Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

#28

Post by SpaghettiCthulu »

TheCapeGreek wrote: post #13

Am I missing something or hallucinating? Pretty sure I've always been able to pause reels on desktop and mobile. Instagram Lite lacked this functionality. Lack of a progress bar you can skip through is what's been missing compared to TikTok. Or was this just not a thing for US users specifically?

I've only been able to pause by tapping and holding on the screen. And that only pauses while you keep holding. Also, for me, most reels have a progress bar you can drag around at the bottom, but there are some that just don't for whatever reason.

Re: Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

#29

Post by kevincox »

pjc50 wrote: post #25
pbmonster wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Par for the course, really. Still can't zoom into images on Instagram, can you? The one and only supported image resolution is also lower than any of the screens I use. The app is really hard to believe from a technical perspective, in general.

You can pinch-zoom on mobile, but only while you're holding it down. I suspect again this is intentional and the two go together - they don't want you zooming in on limited resolution images, that'll look even worse.

This is a relatively recent feature. And yes, it is almost certainly because the images are awful quality before zooming in, so they want to limit how obvious this is.

Re: Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo

#30

Post by dixie_land »

RamblingCTO wrote: post #23
TheCapeGreek wrote: post #13

Am I missing something or hallucinating? Pretty sure I've always been able to pause reels on desktop and mobile. Instagram Lite lacked this functionality. Lack of a progress bar you can skip through is what's been missing compared to TikTok. Or was this just not a thing for US users specifically?

I also had this some time ago and then it was gone. Maybe just A/B testing?

Yup, noticed I had it come n go over last year
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