Instagram is testing "Features" — horizontal uploads up to 90 minutes — plus "Clips as Reels" that link short excerpts back to the full video. Here's what's confirmed, what isn't, and how to prepare.
Instagram is testing Features, a new upload type for horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long — the longest content limit the app has ever had. Alongside it comes Clips as Reels, which turns short excerpts of a long video into standalone Reels that link straight back to the full upload. Announced on October 26, 2026, it's Instagram's most direct shot at YouTube's long-form and TV watch time yet.
Here's what's actually confirmed, what's still unknown, and what you can do this week to be ready when access reaches your account.
Features is a long-form video format inside Instagram. According to reporting from TechCrunch and Tubefilter:
Instagram head Adam Mosseri was candid about the reversal: "For a long time, I have been against doing long-form video on Instagram." His argument now is that short and long video "can be symbiotic" — which is exactly what Clips as Reels is designed to prove.
This is the part creators should pay the most attention to. With Clips as Reels, you cut short segments from your Features video and publish them as regular Reels. Each one automatically links to the full video, and Instagram says it plans to recommend these clips on Explore and across the app.
In practice, that makes Reels the trailer and Features the main event. Your short clips do the discovery work in the feed; the long video captures the watch time. It's the same funnel YouTube creators already run with Shorts pointing to long videos — now built natively into Instagram.
Features is still a test:
There's no public waitlist and no global launch date. Mosseri also said the TV experience "is going to take some time to get right," so don't expect a polished living-room app overnight.
Not yet — and this is the biggest open question. Instagram doesn't typically pay creators per view, and Meta hasn't shared a long-term monetization model for Features. A spokesperson said it is "exploring ways for creators to earn from brands, fans, and Instagram, including performance-based incentives," and promised "compounding benefits" over time without details.
For comparison, YouTube Partner Program creators get 55% of the ad revenue on their long-form videos. Until Instagram matches something like that, most creators will treat Features as a reach and brand-deal play, not a direct income stream. If you want to estimate what the same views would earn on YouTube today, run them through our YouTube money calculator.
You don't need the Features button to start building the workflow that will win with it.
Shoot long-form content in 16:9 so it's ready for Features (and YouTube), then crop 9:16 clips for Reels. Our aspect ratio calculator gives you exact crop dimensions, and crop image handles stills and thumbnails.
Every long video should yield 5–10 short clips. Mark timestamps while you record — strong opinions, funny moments, a surprising stat — then cut them out with the free video trimmer. These become your Clips as Reels the day access arrives, and regular Reels until then.
A clip only works if the first two seconds stop the scroll. Draft several opening lines per clip with the ad hook generator, and caption them with the AI caption generator.
90-minute horizontal uploads are big. Run exports through compress video before uploading, and convert any .mov or .webm exports with MOV to MP4 or WebM to MP4 so they upload cleanly.
Track which clips actually drive engagement with the engagement rate calculator. The clips that win today are the ones you'll pin to your Features later.
Instagram isn't replacing YouTube for long-form income any time soon — there's no revenue share, and the TV app is unfinished. But for creators who already run podcasts or long videos, Features is a free second home for content you're making anyway, with a built-in short-form funnel. The smart move is to keep YouTube as your monetized base and treat Instagram Features as extra distribution, then reassess once Meta announces how creators get paid.
Instagram also shipped smaller editing updates this year — First Draft, a one-tap rough cut for Reels on iOS, and Replace Audio, which swaps a post's music without deleting it — so the app is clearly investing in video creators. Features is the biggest step yet.
Sources: TechCrunch, Tubefilter, 9to5Mac
Features is a new Instagram upload format being tested in October 2026 that supports horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long. It's aimed at long-form creators such as podcasters and comedians, and is designed to work on both the Instagram mobile app and Instagram's upcoming TV app.
Only creators in the test. Instagram first tested Features with long-form creators in Brazil and plans to expand to "tens of thousands of creators" in the U.S. over the coming months. There is no public opt-in or broad launch date yet.
Clips as Reels lets a creator cut short segments from a Features video and post them as standalone Reels. Each clip automatically links viewers to the full long-form video, and Instagram says it plans to recommend these clips on Explore and elsewhere.
Not yet. Meta has not announced a long-term monetization model for Features. A spokesperson said the company is exploring ways for creators to earn from brands, fans, and Instagram, including performance-based incentives — but nothing extra is paid for uploading Features today.
No, though the idea is similar. IGTV was Instagram's 2018 attempt at long-form, TV-style video and it was eventually shut down. Features differs by pairing long uploads with Clips as Reels, so short-form discovery feeds viewers into the long video.
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Drop your downloads, cut-outs and captions into Design Studio, pick a template and export for social or print.
