Reddit Tests Audio and Video Versions of Posts on Mobile

Reddit has begun testing new audio and video versions of posts, giving some mobile users the option to listen to or watch Reddit conversations instead of only reading them.

The early experiment is limited to select English-language posts and communities on Reddit’s iOS and Android apps. When the feature is available, users can either read a post as usual or select the “play” option to view it in the new format.

Reddit turns popular posts into audio and video.

The test builds on plans Reddit CEO Steve Huffman discussed during the company’s second-quarter earnings call. Huffman pointed to the popularity of Reddit stories on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels, where creators frequently narrate posts using their own voices or text-to-speech tools.

Those videos often combine Reddit stories with captions and unrelated footage such as gameplay, cooking or other background clips. Reddit is now exploring whether a similar watch-and-listen experience can work directly within its own apps.

Huffman described spoken Reddit content as an emerging format elsewhere online and said listening to Reddit could be engaging for users. The company is treating the current rollout as an early experiment rather than a finished product.

Reddit said it wants to understand which types of posts work well in audio or video and whether the experience can scale while still feeling authentic to the platform.

Original Reddit posts and comments remain.

The multimedia versions will not replace the original text. Users can continue reading the source post, viewing comments and participating in discussions in the same way they do today.

Reddit sees audio as potentially useful when people cannot actively look at their phones, such as while walking, exercising or running errands. Video provides another way to turn written conversations into content designed for more passive viewing.

The experiment is not Reddit’s first push into video. The company has previously introduced native video hosting and tested versions of a short-form video feed. More recently, Reddit added video support to comments, which the company says now represents more than 10% of video posts on the platform.

The latest test gives Reddit a way to experiment with a format that has already made its content popular elsewhere while keeping the original posts and community discussions at the centre of the experience.