The drama surrounding ByteDance and the banning/unbanning of TikTok, CapCut, etc. in the US is ongoing. So, what better time is there for an American company to develop and launch competing apps?
Instagram Is Launching a New Video Editor Called Edits
Instagram has announced that it’s launching a new mobile video editing app, and that it will be ready for release within the next few months. Called Edits, the video editing app is clearly being released as direct competition for CapCut.
Instagram boss Adam Mosseri announced Edits in a video posted to Instagram on Sunday, January 19. Edits is available for pre-order on the iOS App Store now, with its release planned for sometime in February or March. An Android version is simply billed as “coming soon.”
The free mobile editing app sure sounds a lot like CapCut, ByteDance’s video editing app that has been caught up in the so-called TikTok ban in the US. On the surface at least, it’s a free video editing app aimed at helping creators edit and upload their videos to the various short-form platforms.
However, Mosseri was quick to claim that the similarities are only skin deep, ​​​and that Edits will be a “full suite of creative tools” rather than a mere video editing app. But the timing of the announcement, coming on the same day that TikTok and its partner apps were meant to be banned in the US, is clearly not coincidental.
This Makes Sense While CapCut’s Future Is Still in Doubt
While TikTok was only unavailable on Sunday for a few hours before returning, the long-term future of ByteDance’s various apps is still in question. So much so that Americans have started learning Chinese on Duolingo to help them switch to other apps.
Incoming President Donald may be keen to extend TikTok’s life in the US, but ultimately, he’s unlikely to give the Chinese-owned app a free pass. Which is why Instagram’s move to build a ready-made replacement for CapCut makes absolute sense.
Mosseri responded to critical comments on Threads by stating that it has “been months” since Instagram started working on Edits. But given that ByteDance was put on notice nine months ago, even that doesn’t mean that this wasn’t a direct attempt to replace CapCut once the ban kicked in.
Whether ByteDance sees its apps banned in the US or not, it’s good to know that a ready-made replacement for CapCut is in the works. And unlike (the free version of) CapCut, videos edited with Edits won’t have a watermark when exported.
