Meta’s New Edits App Steps In to Let You Create and Share Videos While CapCut Stays Unavailable

Creators have had a tumultuous weekend following TikTok's brief shutdown in the U.S., but as services resumed on Sunday afternoon, one thing became clear: the landscape for creative tools is shifting.

While TikTok is back online, its sibling app CapCut remains unavailable on app stores, leaving creators in search of alternatives. Stepping into this void, Meta has introduced a new video editing app called Edits.

What is Edits?

Announced by Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, Edits is more than just a video editing app. It's a suite of tools designed to make creating and sharing videos easier for mobile-first creators. The app aims to streamline the creative process by offering features like watermark-free exports, collaborative editing, and a performance insights dashboard. Mosseri described Edits as "a full suite of creative tools" in a post on Threads, emphasizing its versatility for creators.

The app allows users to:

• Export videos without watermarks and share them across platforms.

• Record high-quality clips up to 10 minutes long with advanced camera settings.

• Edit videos frame by frame for precision.

• Share drafts with friends and other creators for collaboration.

• Track video performance through a live insights dashboard that highlights metrics like skip rates and engagement.

Edits also integrates seamlessly with Instagram, allowing creators to upload their videos directly in 1080p resolution.

Why Now?

The timing of Edits' launch is no coincidence. Over the weekend, TikTok went dark in the U.S. for several hours due to an impending federal ban, leaving millions of users unable to access the app. Although TikTok services were restored on Sunday around 12 PM ET, CapCut-TikTok's popular video editing companion-remains unavailable on app stores. This has left a gap for creators who rely on mobile tools to produce and share content.

Meta's move to introduce Edits at this moment is a clear attempt to position itself as a stable alternative for creators. With CapCut out of the picture, at least temporarily, Edits offers a fresh option with advanced tools and a promise of cross-platform compatibility.

Availability

Edits is currently available for preorder on the iOS App Store, with a full release planned for next month. Android users will have to wait a little longer, but Meta has indicated that the app will come to Android soon.