The next time you open the Instagram app you most likely won’t have to put up with the bright orange IGTV button in the top-right corner. IGTV is Instagram’s solution to watching longer videos than you’d typically find on Instagram. However, now accessing the long-form service requires a longer route.
IGTV launched in 2018 with Instagram touting it as “our most exciting feature to date.” Technically, IGTV was more than just a feature as it also came with its own dedicated app. However, Instagram wanted to bridge the two services together to appeal to those creators looking to publish long and short-form videos, and due to this, the Instagram app came with a quick-access IGTV button located in the top bar.
This week, Facebook-owned Instagram removed the quick-access button from its prominent position. Instead, users will now have to go on a different, and slightly longer journey to post to IGTV. As Instagram explains in its updated help pages, users will need to now tap on the “+” sign at the bottom of the screen and then select “Long Video.” Essentially, this is the same process regardless of whether you’re sharing long or short videos (or images) with the only real difference being whether you hit the long or short tab. That is, as well as their eventual destination with short videos and images posted to the user’s Instagram feed and longer videos (longer than 60 seconds) being shared to the associated IGTV channel.
It’s About Time Instagram Removed The IGTV Button
The truth is IGTV has not proved to be Instagram’s “most exciting feature to date.” As to be expected with a user list as long as Instagram’s, the IGTV standalone app has gained millions of downloads. However, when you consider Instagram has more than one billion users, it goes to show the feature was never really embraced by the core Instagram crowd. Of course, part of the reason for this is likely to be the dedicated video services that have come through in the meantime, like TikTok. While TikTok doesn’t work in quite the same way as IGTV, if a creator is looking to start a video channel, and gain a significant number of followers, TikTok is far more likely to be service they go for. The download numbers for the TikTok app compared to the IGTV app seem to suggest that’s exactly what has happened over the last couple of years.
IGTV is most likely to only be of real benefit to those who already have an established Instagram presence, and even they appear to be taking a cautious approach to the service. Which is not that surprising due to IGTV not offering the same ad revenue opportunities as other services. With neither creators, users, nor advertisers turning to IGTV, the removal of the button does feel like some form of omission that IGTV has not quite lived up to expectations. Instagram gave this feature an extremely prominent position in the app with the expectation that it will be used. While it is arguable that the new route is easier (combining all the methods to upload together), it is still a removal of the button from a position of prime real estate within the main app. Not to mention, a major toning down of the IGTV branding within the Instagram app, in general.
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Source: Instagram
