Instagram has updated its iOS app and video service to add a new feature which will see videos being automatically replayed in users’ feeds.
Previously, Instagram videos would play once through and stop, but now the new feature will allow the videos to play continuously. The new looping feature makes it more convenient for viewers to re-watch short videos and show them to their friends. In addition, advertisers will also be benefited from the update as videos sponsored by their products will also replay.
Instagram’s mobile users will also have the option to mute the clip’s sound by tapping on them. Furthermore, users who view Instagram videos via the web will be able to pause those clips as they would a normal YouTube or Vine video.
The company has confirmed that the new video-looping feature will not affect the app’s data usage. Users can even choose to have videos preload on Wi-Fi only to save data, but this is not the default option.
Introduction of the new feature brings Instagram in line with rival Vine, which already lets people upload 6-second videos that are often designed to loop. One of the features that Vine has but Instagram doesn’t is the loop counter that displays how many times the video has been looped.
The video-sharing social network also recently announced that it has obtained over 300 million users.
The new version of the Instagram iOS app is currently available to download from the iTunes App Store for free.
