Reddit has announced plans to test a new audio and video experience, allowing users to listen to or watch their favourite posts while multitasking. The platform hopes this will increase user engagement by offering alternative ways to consume content.

The initial tests will focus on select English-language posts and are available through Reddit’s iOS and Android apps. Unlike previous experiments with video hosting, this format won’t replace the original text-only posts, but rather provide an additional way for users to engage with content.

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman acknowledged that similar content types exist elsewhere online, pointing out how other platforms like TikTok and Meta’s Reels feature popular Reddit stories narrated through text-to-speech or read aloud by creators. This new format aims to tap into this emerging trend of spoken Reddit content, potentially making it more engaging for a broader audience.

The company believes these tests will help them understand how video and audio posts can enhance user experience while maintaining the authenticity of Reddit’s community-driven nature. Whether users opt to read or play a post will be entirely up to their preference, with options available for exercising, walking, or simply running errands.

This experiment isn’t the first time Reddit has ventured into video content; it previously launched native video hosting and various iterations of a TikTok-style video feed. Currently, more than 10% of video posts on the platform come from comments, indicating growing interest in this format among users.