Reddit launches video in comments: here's how they work and who can really use them

Since Thursday, June 11, Reddit has extended to all users the ability to attach videos to comments, a feature that was already available to moderators in previous weeks through an early access period. The feature is active on all public, safe-for-work communities that have chosen to enable it, while private and NSFW subreddits remain excluded.

Videos do not autoplay: playback is manual, and the audio respects the settings chosen by the user. Before becoming visible, content goes through the platform's security systems. Moderators maintain full control: they can disable the function for their community or limit it to moderators or approved users only. The configuration can be found in Mod Tools > Post & Comments > Media in Comments on desktop, or in Mod Tools > Media in Comments under Content & Contribution in the mobile app.

AMA videos and the pilot with Mel C

The most highlighted use case in the official announcements regarding the availability of the new feature is for AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions: hosts will be able to record personalized video responses to each question, rather than being limited to text. Reddit already experimented with the format about two months ago with a video AMA featuring Mel C from the Spice Girls as a pilot before the general launch.

Maria Angelidou-Smith, Chief Product Officer of Reddit, stated: "We are continuously evolving Reddit to offer a more immersive and authentic human experience. The ability to respond with videos provides users with more creative ways to engage with the communities they love." This move fits into the platform's strategy to compete in the video space with TikTok and YouTube.

For those managing subreddits, one operational detail noted in the official notes: to keep the setting restricted to moderators only, a two-step process is required, first setting it to "moderators and approved users", saving it, then switching back to "moderators only" and saving again.