Users can now listen to or watch Reddit posts in certain communities. The new feature is available on iOS and Android apps. Reddit aims to see which formats engage users most. Original text posts remain unchanged.
Reddit is piloting a new audio and video experience that could reshape how content is consumed and distributed on its platform. For publishers, creators, and editorial teams, this test introduces new ways to reach audiences who prefer listening or watching over reading, potentially expanding engagement and time spent within the Reddit app.
Starting Monday, Reddit will roll out early tests of this feature in select communities on its iOS and Android apps. Users will have the option to either read, listen to, or watch posts, depending on the format available. The company said the experiment will focus on English-language posts for now and will not replace the original text-based content. Both the original post and its comments will remain accessible for reading and interaction as before.
Reddit’s move follows CEO Steve Huffman’s comments during the company’s second-quarter earnings call in July, where he noted that users already consume Reddit stories in audio and video formats on other platforms. He referenced the popularity of narrated Reddit stories on TikTok and Meta’s Reels, where creators use text-to-speech or read posts aloud, often overlaying the narration on unrelated video footage. Huffman suggested that a spoken or listened-to version of Reddit content could be highly engaging for users.
The company told TechCrunch that these initial tests are limited and designed to help Reddit understand which formats resonate with its audience and how to deliver them authentically. Reddit envisions scenarios where users might listen to audio posts while exercising or running errands, or watch video versions of written conversations. The company emphasized that this feature is an addition, not a replacement, for traditional text posts.
This is not Reddit’s first foray into video. The platform previously introduced native video hosting and experimented with TikTok-style video feeds. More recently, Reddit enabled video in comments, which now accounts for over 10% of all video posts on the site, according to company data.
Reddit’s ongoing experimentation with multimedia formats reflects a broader effort to keep users engaged and offer new content experiences without disrupting the core text-based community interactions that define the platform.
