Dubsmash, the Once Popular Video Platform, Will Be Discontinued in 2022 According to Reddit

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 24 November 2021, 01:11 pm

Dubsmash, the popular video platform, will be shut down by Reddit in February 2022. The announcement of the shutdown comes a year after Reddit bought the video platform in December 2020.

After February 2022, Dubsmash will no longer be available to download through the App Store or Google Play, and the app that is already on devices will no longer work after that date.

Reddit to Discontinue Dubsmash

When Reddit announced its acquisition of the company, it is said that Dubsmash would still keep its platform and brand, TechCrunch reported.

Reddit said in a blog post that combining their forces was a perfect match because Reddit is where people with passion come for interactive and authentic exchanges about topics that they are into, and video is one of the ways that people want to connect.

As part of the announcement, Reddit also said that it is rolling out a new video feature that was developed by Dubsmash's team. The built-in camera of the platform will now have options to change the recording speeds and set a timer.

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Also, it is now possible to upload video clips in both portrait and landscape mode, and it is now possible to adjust and trim several clips at once. A new editing screen allows users to doodle, add stickers, filters, and voice-overs to their short clips.

In August, Reddit also added a feed feature that allows uses to upvote or downvote videos, comment on them, gift an award to the creator or share the video, according to Engadget.

Like TikTok, users can also swipe up and down to see videos, feeding content from subreddits to which the user is the subscriber.

The addition of the video feature came as Snapchat introduced Spotlight and Instagram launched Reels, and they were getting attention from users.

Several social media platforms compete to go head to head with TikTok's popularity.

Reddit stated that the video content is now increasing on the platform, as it has almost 70% growth in overall hours watched. It also noted that there had been an increase of 30% in the growth of daily active video viewers.

The app has also seen a 50% increase in quarter-over-quarter short video viewership, which the app calls as less than 2 seconds of video and can be accessed through its new video player.

It is also worth noting that Reddit first launched its own video platform in 2017. It allows users to upload MOV and MP4 files to the website.

In 2019, Reddit introduced Reddit Public Access Network or RPAN, which lets users livestream to the platform's subreddits, according to ADWeek.

What Happened to Dubsmash?

Launched in 2014, Dubsmash became a sensation and crossed 75 million downloads in just nine months. However, in 2016, the social media platform decreased users, especially since its rival TikTok gained popularity.

Dubsmash's downfall is caused by several factors: the lack of features, no social network inside the app, and the lack of expansion. With this, users traded Dubsmash for TikTok, a platform that allows users to do more things like dancing, sharing information, adding music to their videos, and more.