Meta is rolling out a new set of creation tools across its Edits app and Instagram Reels, while removing a feature introduced little more than a year ago, per Social Media Today.
Edits, Meta’s standalone video editing app, now supports clickable audio links that let viewers tap through to the specific song or sound used in a Reel. The app also added “Trending” insights showing creators what is driving engagement among their audience, though that feature is limited for now to creators with more than 10,000 followers. A new “Kits” option lets creators save visual style combinations to reuse later, and Meta added further visual effects tools to the app.
In the main Instagram app, Meta introduced a “use as reference” option for Reels under 90 seconds. Creators can open an existing Reel, select it from the three-dot menu, and overlay it in a small window inside the camera composer while recording their own response, with a countdown to help sync the two clips. The feature is currently iOS-only.
Instagram is also removing the ability to link Reels together in a series, a change taking effect October 28. The company said the move is meant to simplify the Reels experience. Instagram had added series linking in August 2025 to help creators string together connected clips and extend viewing time. The rollback removes a tool designed to maintain continuity between clips, a goal the reference-Reels feature now addresses differently by anchoring a new recording to a past one rather than linking posts after the fact.
The update lands weeks after Meta rolled out its “Edits assistant” AI tool to all U.S. Edits users, which analyzes a creator’s own account metrics, including retention, likes and shares, to suggest content ideas, hooks and trending audio. Brett Westervelt, who leads the Edits app, described that tool as “a creative partner that knows you and your audience,” distinct from generic AI content advice. Between the AI assistant, the new editing features, and the Reels changes, Meta has touched nearly every stage of the creator workflow across Edits within the span of a few months, from idea generation through final cut.
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