Why won't Facebook Reels send in Messenger?

Facebook Reels are short form videos that can be created and shared on Facebook and Instagram. They allow users to record multi-clip videos combined with audio, effects, and creative tools. However, unlike Instagram Reels which can be shared via Direct Message, Facebook Reels currently do not have the option to be sent through Facebook Messenger.

Why can’t you send Facebook Reels through Messenger?

There are a few potential reasons why Facebook has not enabled the ability to send Reels through Messenger:

Feature parity between Facebook and Instagram – Since Reels originated on Instagram, the features were focused on sharing via Instagram Direct rather than Facebook Messenger. The features may not have been built out yet to support sending via Messenger.

Separate platforms and codebases – The Facebook and Instagram apps are separate platforms with different codebases. Building the feature to send Reels through Messenger likely requires additional engineering work to connect the functionality across the apps.
Focusing on other priorities first – Facebook may be prioritizing other features over enabling Reels sharing on Messenger. For example, expanding Reels to Facebook globally or improving algorithms.
Limit spam and low-quality content – Allowing Reels to be shared on Messenger opens the door to more spam, low-quality content, or unwanted messages being sent. Facebook may be holding off to limit content concerns.

Are there any workarounds to send Facebook Reels via Messenger?

Since the native Facebook Reels sharing feature is not available in Messenger, there are a couple of workarounds users have come up with:

Save Reel video and send as attachment – Download the Reel video file and then attach and send through Messenger. This preserves video quality but loses Reels effects.
Screen record Reel and send recording – Use your device’s screen recording feature to capture the Reel playback and then send the screen recording file through Messenger.

Copy share link and paste in Messenger – Tap the share icon on a Reel and copy the link, then paste the link in a Messenger message.

However, all these workarounds result in a degradation of the Reel experience compared to natively sharing on Instagram Direct. You lose the interactivity and effects of the full Reel.

What features are lost when sending Facebook Reels via workarounds?

Here are some of the key features that are lost when trying to send Facebook Reels through Messenger workarounds:

Interactive tabs – Reels have tabs that allow viewers to interact with the effects, audio, caption and more. This interactivity is lost.
Audio and effects – Any original audio or added visual effects applied to the Reel are stripped out.
Stickers and drawings – Stickers, text, and freehand drawings added to the Reel will not be visible.

High resolution – Video quality is diminished when downloading and re-sharing versus natively sending.
Analytics -Any analytics on views or shares are reset when re-sharing a Reel instead of sending the original.

Is Facebook working on adding Messenger Reel sharing?

Facebook has not officially commented on any plans to add support for sharing Reels through Messenger. However, we can make some educated guesses on the likelihood by looking at Facebook’s track record.

It’s very possible Facebook will add Messenger Reel sharing at some point because:

Instagram sharing precedent – After launching Reels on Instagram, native sharing to Direct Message was enabled shortly after. Suggests priority for messaging integration.
Cross-app sharing – Facebook has been integrating messaging and sharing across their apps recently. Such as cross-posting Stories or sharing from Instagram to Facebook.

Expanded Reels availability – Reels have expanded from Instagram to Facebook and are clearly a priority product. Enabling more sharing helps adoption.

However, the timing is uncertain. Facebook takes a while to expand new product features sometimes. And comments from leadership indicate Reels integration work is complex due to separations between the Facebook and Instagram technology stacks.

Will Messenger Reel sharing ever be available?

It’s likely Messenger Reel sharing will eventually be enabled unless Facebook encounters issues with:

Technical barriers – There may be unforeseen challenges in getting Reels to work cross-platform with Messenger.
Product performance – Reels may not be performing well on Facebook, reducing priority for expanded integration.
Regulatory concerns – Governments (especially in Europe) may resist or investigate tighter Facebook/Instagram integration.

Barring those issues, Messenger Reel sharing aligns with Facebook’s strategy to integrate messaging and stories across their apps. They have repeatedly emphasized the importance of this integration publicly. So there does not seem to be a lack of motivation or willingness from Facebook.

How long is the timeline for adding Reel sharing to Messenger?

It’s challenging to predict an exact timeline for when Messenger Reel sharing could launch. Some factors that can influence the timeline:

Product roadmap priorities – Where Reel Messenger sharing falls on the product roadmap given other initiatives in progress.

Engineering resources – The size of the engineering team available to work on building the integration.
Technical complexity – How many dependencies exist across Facebook’s codebase and how tricky they are to build.
Testing timelines – After being built, features need to be thoroughly tested. Simple versus complex features affect testing time.

However, we can look to the Instagram timeline as a possible indicator:

Instagram Reels launched August 2020.
DM sharing was enabled ~2 months later in October 2020.

If Facebook aligns with a similar timeline, it’s possible Messenger sharing could come as soon as 2 months after launching Reels. But this is not guaranteed as the products and codebases differ significantly.

What are the benefits if Facebook adds Messenger Reels sharing?

Enabling native sharing of Facebook Reels via Messenger would provide some benefits:

Increased engagement – Seamless sharing drives more messages sent and received containing Reels.

Higher quality experience – Retains the interactive Reel format versus degraded workarounds.
Aligns with user expectations – Consistency with the Instagram experience where sharing via DM is standard.
Expands reach – Helps Reels achieve more views as people share them directly with friends.

Overall, Messenger Reel sharing should boost time spent with Reels as people can more easily send and receive them. That leads to the next question…

Could Messenger Reels sharing impact time spent on Facebook?

Expanding Reels sharing to Messenger provides another way to message friends — sending Reels instead of just text, photos, videos, or links. The potential impacts of this on time spent:

Messenger is already responsible for high time spent on Facebook. More content types may increase that further.

Reel recommendations in Messenger could expose people to more Reels, hooking them into browsing more.
Viral Reel sharing gives people another way to engage friends for longer conversations.

However, it’s unlikely Messenger Reel sharing alone will drastically change overall time spent. Messaging already accounts for a significant portion of time on Facebook. But additional engaging content gives more reasons to spend more time.

How could Messenger Reels impact Facebook’s competitors?

If Facebook Reels can be shared more virally through Messenger, it may start to gain ground on competing platforms also focused on short form video:

YouTube Shorts – Reels becoming more messaging-centric differentiates from YouTube’s focus on short video feed browsing.
TikTok – Expanded Reels sharing could help attract TikTok stars and users to cross-post content.

Snapchat – Snapchat does not allow sharing user Stories via messaging. Reels integration strengths Facebook’s messaging advantage.

No single product change will overcome these competitors. But enhanced Reels sharing improves Facebook’s short-form video product holistically across creation, consumption, and sharing.

Conclusion

In summary, Facebook not enabling Reels sharing through Messenger yet comes down to priorities and technical considerations. Instagram originally launched the feature first. Porting it across Facebook’s different codebase simply takes time and engineering work. But given Facebook’s broader product direction, Messenger Reel sharing integration is very likely coming. It provides an important way to increase engagement as Facebook battles rival platforms over attention and time spent with short video.