Every time a new form of social media takes off, the most popular apps are quick to respond with their own replications. When Snapchat took over the world, Instagram and Facebook scrambled to create their own Story features. TikTok videos have been the new craze for almost a year now, and last week, Instagram launched Reels, their own version of the video sharing app. Keep scrolling to get the rundown on everything you need to know about Reels this week.

What Are Reels?

Instagram Reels are 15-second multi-clip videos that are formatted to take up the entire phone screen, similar to Stories. You can record the videos right in the Instagram app, using the app’s features to include different audio filters, add graphic effects, layer on text, set the video to music and more. You can then share the finished product with your followers just like a regular Instagram photo, or send the video to your Story for 24 hours. Reels will live permanently on your profile in a separate tab, and you can also choose to include them in your main profile grid.

TikTok’s New Competition

The timing of the Reels rollout couldn’t be better for Instagram. TikTok’s future in the US has been in question for weeks as President Trump has threatened to ban the app due to questionable data usage by its China-based parent company ByteDance. There has been talk that Microsoft may purchase the social network, but in the meantime, users may jump ship to start creating Reels instead.

Just like TikTok, Instagram offers a dedicated Reels-only space that will feature a selection of public videos for users to scroll through. The Reels stream exists as a separate hub on the Explore page, next to the Shop and IGTV tabs. One of the main benefits to Reels over TikTok is that users don’t have to start their following from scratch on a new app. Creators can share their content to their existing follower base, and hopefully even add to it with engaging Reels. There are also still more people in the US using Instagram over TikTok. Instagram has around 120 million active monthly US users, while TikTok has about 80 million.

However, there are still reasons for users to stick with TikTok. Reels is missing a few popular TikTok features, including the ability to “duet” with other users’ videos and create longer 60-second videos. TikTok has also committed to giving its most popular creators financial incentives from their US “creator fund” of $1 billion, which will be paid out over the next three years.

The Future of Reels

When Reels debuted in the US last week, it also launched in 50 other countries, including the UK, Japan and Australia. Now that influencers across the globe have access to the new feature, it begs the question of whether Instagram or TikTok will come out on top. According to TIME, most content creators are planning to start testing out Instagram Reels while still maintaining their current presence on TikTok. The combination may help influencers hedge against going down with a failing app, à la Vine in 2016.

Other influencers are happy to shift their focus entirely to Reels. There, they can match their short-form videos to be consistent with their photo and IGTV content. They can also work with a platform they’re already somewhat familiar with, unlike TikTok, which has a seemingly mysterious algorithm and security concerns. We’re sure to see the competition between Instagram and TikTok play out over the next few months, but until then, find out more about Reels here: https://time.com/5875788/instagram-reels-tiktok/