Meta is preparing major upgrades for Edits, its short-form video editing app, as the company tries to make the platform more useful for creators competing for attention on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Meta previewed upcoming additions to Edits at an invite-only creator event in Los Angeles, including a new AI assistant and a desktop version of the previously mobile-only app.
Meta is adding an AI assistant and desktop version to Edits, describing the app as Meta’s rival to ByteDance’s CapCut.
The updates show Meta’s effort to turn Edits from a basic mobile editing tool into a more complete creator platform that can help users plan, edit, analyze, and improve their content.
AI assistant will use Instagram performance data
One of the biggest upcoming features is an AI assistant designed to help creators understand their content performance and generate new ideas.
According to TechCrunch, the AI assistant will use a creator’s Instagram data, including views and video-retention insights, to help explain what is working and why.
The Next Web reported that the assistant can analyze Instagram performance data, suggest video ideas, recommend topics based on performance trends, and flag trending audio.
That feature could help creators spend less time switching between analytics dashboards, brainstorming tools, and separate AI apps. Instead, Meta appears to be placing content planning directly inside the editing workflow.
The tool could reduce the need for creators to turn to outside platforms such as ChatGPT when brainstorming video ideas or understanding performance results.
Desktop version targets more advanced editing
Meta is also preparing a desktop version of Edits, addressing a major limitation of the app’s mobile-only format.
The desktop version will give creators more precise control over editing and allow them to work on a larger screen for more advanced workflows.
The desktop version closes one of the biggest gaps between Edits and CapCut, which already offers desktop editing.
Meta also said creators will be able to sync workflows between mobile and desktop devices. That could be useful for creators who shoot quick content on phones but prefer to polish videos on laptops or desktop computers.
New Beta tab and audience insights launch
Several features are launching immediately alongside the upcoming AI and desktop announcements.
Edits is getting a new “Beta” tab, which will give creators early access to experimental features still in development and allow them to provide feedback to Meta.
The app will also add expanded audience insights. Creators will now be able to see more detailed metrics, including audience demographic breakdowns and the time of day their audience is most engaged.
Creators can search specific topics in the Inspiration feed to discover trending Reels and templates, and create multiple versions of a single video to test performance before publishing.
Meta competes harder for creator loyalty
Meta did not share how many users Edits has. However, content made with Edits sees a 10% higher save rate and 2% higher reshare rate compared with content not made on Edits.
The company also said more than half of people watching Reels on Instagram see Edits-created content every day.
The AI assistant is currently being tested with attendees of Meta’s creator event, while the desktop version is “coming soon.” The rest of the new features are launching to everyone.
For Meta, the strategy is clear: keep creators inside its ecosystem by giving them tools not only to edit videos, but also to understand performance, follow trends, and produce more content for Instagram.
