Skip to main content

Reels are about to show up in yet another Facebook feature

As its answer to TikTok, Reels is clearly a particularly important priority for Meta. Which is why a number of its platforms’ recent feature updates often involve Reels. And today’s announcement was not exempt from Meta’s push to make Reels just as competitive as TikTok.

On Thursday, Meta announced that it would be bringing Reels to Facebook Groups, mentioning it as one of three new ways for users to “to connect over shared interests.” Facebook group members and admins will be able to add “audio, text overlay and filters on top of their videos before sharing to bring their stories to life.”

Reels in Groups Facebook Communities Summit announcement.
screenshot

Beside their blog post announcement, the enabling of Reels in Groups was also announced via Facebook’s 6th Facebook Communities Summit, a screenshot of which is below.

Recommended Videos

Meta is also continuing to further connect its two flagship social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook, to each other. In the same announcement, it was also revealed that you’ll be able to share public Facebook events to an Instagram story.

The screenshot of this feature that was shared with Digital Trends seems to show an in-progress Instagram story that features basic information for an upcoming Facebook event and what looks like a button link that says “See Event Page.”

Sharing Facebook Events to Instagram Stories.
Meta

While Reels struggles to keep up with TikTok, it is kind of nice to see Meta focusing more on developing the aspects of its platforms that aren’t TikTok clones, such as Facebook Groups and Events. Even if it means part of that development will involve bringing Reels along for the ride as well.

It seems like a more worthwhile pursuit for Meta would be to develop the unique parts of its platforms that its users still value instead of merely chasing TikTok or the next new thing that comes along.

Anita George
Anita George has been writing for Digital Trends' Computing section since 2018. So for almost six years, Anita has written…
What is Twitter Blue and is it worth it?
Twitter Blue menu option on a white screen background which is on a black background.

If you spend time on Twitter, you've probably heard the phrase "Twitter Blue" at some point and wondered what exactly it is. We're not talking about the signature shade of blue featured in its logo -- we're talking about the premium version of Twitter.

That's right. There's a paid tier for Twitter that many people don't even know exists that launched in July of 2021. And then relaunched again under Elon Musk's ownership in November 2022. Don't worry -- we'll explain everything below.
What is Twitter Blue?

Read more
What is Mastodon? Here’s why everyone’s talking about this Twitter alternative
Series of four mobile screenshots showing Mastodon's sign-up process.

By now you've no doubt heard about Mastodon. It's a social media platform that's been bandied about as an alternative to Twitter, particularly among users who aren't comfortable with the direction Twitter is going in now that Elon Musk is at the helm.

In fact, since Musk first announced that he was planning on buying the popular microblogging platform, Mastodon has garnered quite a bit of attention and experienced significant growth. But though you've likely heard about Mastodon, you may not be familiar with how it works or haven't decided whether or not it would be a good fit for you if you ever choose to leave Twitter and need an alternative social media platform. Don't worry. We've got you covered. In this guide, we'll get you up to speed on everything you need to know about social media's buzziest new platform.
What is Mastodon?

Read more
Twitter’s SMS two-factor authentication is having issues. Here’s how to switch methods
A person's hands holding a smartphone as they browse Twitter on it.

It might be a good idea to review and change your two-factor authentication options for Twitter. Elon Musk's Twitter has another issue for its users to worry about.

Twitter has reportedly been having issues with its SMS two-factor authentication feature (2FA). According to Wired, beginning as early as this past weekend, some Twitter users have reported difficulties logging in to their Twitter accounts due to the app's SMS 2FA feature not working properly. Essentially, the feature relies on the app sending users an authentication code via text message, which they can then enter as a second step in the login process.

Read more