Previously, the company enabled cross-posting of Instagram Reels and Stories on Facebook. With this move, Facebook is making cross-posting available on both sides. The company is yet to make a formal announcement about this feature, though it is rolling out in the form of a global test. So who exactly is getting this feature? Facebook says a handful of users who have their Facebook profile linked with a creator, personal, or business account on Instagram will gain access to cross-posting. As TechCrunch notes, the toggle to enable cross-posting on Instagram will appear when you’re creating a new post. It’s located next to the toggles for modifying visibility and creating a new album.
Facebook didn’t offer information on a wider rollout of the new cross-posting feature
Tapping the Instagram icon takes you to a screen with details on the connected Instagram account. Facebook reminds users here that this cross-posting setting is only applicable for the current post, so it’s not always on by default. Users can change this by visiting the ‘Accounts Center’ page to automatically share all your Facebook posts on Instagram. This section already lets users share Facebook Stories on Instagram Stories.
There are some limitations on what posts can appear on Instagram, however. Single videos, photos, and image galleries with a maximum of 10 photos are compatible. However, content such as polls, GIFs, reshares from the Facebook feed, photo albums with more than 10 photos, and so on cannot be shared on Instagram. This isn’t a groundbreaking revelation given that we’ve already seen interoperability between apps like Messenger and Instagram in the past. However, the new cross-posting feature goes to show that Facebook wants to tightly integrate its services. This would make it harder for users to leave the platform. Facebook didn’t mention when the new cross-posting feature will appear more widely to users around the world. But we suspect it won’t take too long. It’s clear that the company is trying its hardest to counter the growing popularity of rival platforms like TikTok and Snapchat.
