Now that Instagram is adding a new TikTok-like feature called Reels to its app, you might be wondering why it didn't just create a whole new app. Facebook's photo-sharing app already feels a bit overcrowded with features copied from Snapchat, for example, and TikTok's approach to showcasing viral videos is so different from Instagram's that it feels like Reels has been crammed into a place where it doesn't fit.

There is a good reason for this, though.

Instagram’s new Reels feature is Facebook’s attempt to get ahead of TikTok. Reels adds a new section to the Instagram app where you can watch a stream of videos made by other Instagrammers. What’s notable is that these videos are from strangers, rather than people you’ve chosen to follow.

TikTok is a huge success, so Facebook is doing what it did to bury Snapchat: cloning it and adding it to Instagram. Reels itself has been in testing for months, so its eventual launch in a week when TikTok is dominating the news could actually be a real coincidence.