Taking a page from Vine, Instagram has made its videos loop automatically in users’ streams.
The change, rolled out in an Android update last week and an iOS update Wednesday, means that people who linger on videos in the Instagram app will automatically be served re-runs. The update is also rolling out for web and embedded versions of posts, an Instagram spokesperson confirmed.
“We’re always looking to improve the experience on Instagram,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “In this case, we wanted to make watching videos on Instagram easier for people.”
Instagram videos already autoplay on mobile apps, so this change is a natural extension, and one that could appeal to marketers looking to boost video impressions, said Danielle Wiley, CEO of the Sway Group, an agency that connects social media influencers with brands.
“That said, I think the larger appeal is that it helps to maintain Instagram’s dominance amongst the younger demographic. The frenetic nature of Vine’s short auto-looping videos (and the fun way it creates new versions of songs with a 6-second repeat) has long been a favorite of teen users,” Wiley told Marketing Land. “I think it’s very smart for Instagram to acknowledge that and jump on the bandwagon.”
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