Reddit has started testing narrated audio and video versions of popular posts on its iOS and Android apps. The experiment brings a format already common on TikTok and Instagram Reels directly into Reddit, where users can choose to read a post or play it.
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Reddit content has spent years circulating on other platforms through narrated videos, often pairing text to speech versions of popular posts with gameplay, cooking clips or other background footage.
The numbers show how established that format has become outside Reddit. TikTok has around 19.6 million posts under the #reddit hashtag and another 9.9 million under #redditstories, according to figures cited when Reddit first discussed the idea in July.
Reddit now wants to test whether users prefer consuming the same material without leaving its apps.
Selected posts will offer a choice between reading and playing the content. Audio versions can continue in the background, giving users a podcast style option while walking, exercising or doing other tasks. Video versions combine narration with visual presentation.
CEO Steve Huffman discussed the idea during the Q2 earnings call:
“There is an emerging content type elsewhere on the internet of, basically, podcasts where people read Reddit content,” Huffman said. “I think this version of, like, listened-to or spoken Reddit can be really engaging, as well.”
Reddit describes the rollout as an early experiment rather than a broad product launch. The company will monitor which formats work across different communities before deciding whether to make the feature more widely available.
The original posts will not disappear. Users can still open the text, read comments and participate in discussions normally.
Video already forms part of the wider Reddit product. The platform has previously tested dedicated video feeds and more recently added video support inside comments. Earlier experiments included separate Read and Watch feeds designed to distinguish text content from video.
The new test differs by turning existing written conversations into another media format rather than relying only on videos uploaded by users.