While the default time limit for Reels is 15 seconds, you can extend the recording time limit up to 30 seconds. On the other hand, a single Instagram Story video can only be 15 seconds long. This means that if you add a reel (longer than 15 seconds in length) to your Instagram story, only 15 sec of the video is shown on your story. Your viewers need to tap the story to view the rest of the reel in the Reels section. And if you save a long reel from the story then only the first 15 seconds of video is saved to your camera roll.
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Want to add 30 second Reel on Instagram Story?
Now, what if you want to share full 30-sec reels on Instagram Story? Though, it isn’t officially possible to share reels of more than 15 seconds to Instagram story. That’s because Instagram has a certain limitation that forces viewers to view complete reels within the Reels interface. This makes sense since watching a reel in the Reels tab boosts engagement and lets users explore more Reels.
That said, there is a workaround that you can use to share longer reels to your story on Instagram. The trick involves downloading the reel to your gallery and then posting it to the story. This means a long reel of 30 seconds will automatically split into two parts when you upload it to your story. Your followers can then watch the clips back to back in two segments, each segment being 15 seconds long. The only downside is that the reel you post won’t carry a link to the original reel.
Now let’s see how you can share full reels on Instagram Story on iPhone. Using the below method, you can share someone’s long reel or your own reel to Instagram Stories.
How to share longer reels on your Instagram Story
- Install the “Instagram Media Saver” shortcut. To do so, visit this link and tap the “Add Shortcut” button. This shortcut lets you quickly save reels, stories, photos, and videos from Instagram directly to Photos on iOS.
- Go to “Reels” and open the reel you want to post as a story. To find reels posted by you, head to your profile and tap the Reels tab.
- Tap the ellipsis button (3-dot icon) at the bottom-right corner.
- Tap “Share to…” and select “Instagram Media Saver” from the Share sheet.
- Select Ok when you see the banner “Shortcuts would like access to Shortcuts”.
- Grant all the necessary permissions to the shortcut by choosing “Always Allow”.
- Once the reel video is saved to the Photos app, open the Instagram app and add a new story.
- On the create story page, swipe up on the screen and select the downloaded Reel. (Note: Reels longer than 15 seconds will automatically segment into two clips.)
- Optional: Add any effects, stickers, or text to the reel video if you want.
- Tap “Next” and then tap the “Share” button next to Your Story to share the complete reel on your Instagram Story.
Longer reel split into two clips
That’s it. You can further check the Viewers list of your story to see who all people viewed the reel.
TIP: Repost Instagram Story on Facebook
You can also share the Reel to your Facebook story, either while posting or after posting it to your IG story.
To do so (while sharing), tap the “Sharing option” menu on the Share screen and select “Share once”.
To share a certain story afterward, view your story and swipe up on the screen. Scroll down to the bottom of the viewer’s list and hit the “Share” button next to “Share to Facebook Story”.
ALSO READ: How to put multiple pictures in one story on Instagram
