Instagram May Open Directly to Reels
▼ Summary
– Instagram is testing making Reels the home tab in an opt-in test in India, with Reels and DMs as the first two tabs.
– The new home tab will combine familiar Stories at the top with a Reels-like full-screen video layout when scrolling.
– Instagram head Adam Mosseri stated that Reels and DMs have been key drivers of growth, prompting this exploration.
– Photos from followed accounts will still appear in the revised home tab, though the video demonstration doesn’t show how.
– This change aligns with Instagram’s recent iPad app, which opens into Reels, reflecting a focus on “lean back entertainment.”
Instagram is currently running a trial in India that could fundamentally alter how users interact with the platform. This experimental change involves shifting the app’s default home screen to the Reels tab, placing short-form video content front and center. According to Instagram’s chief Adam Mosseri, both Reels and Direct Messages have become significant growth drivers for the service in recent years, prompting the company to explore this potential redesign.
In a demonstration video shared by Mosseri, the proposed home tab maintains some familiar elements, including the horizontal Stories carousel at the screen’s top. However, once users begin scrolling downward, the interface transforms into the full-screen video experience currently associated with the dedicated Reels section. Mosseri has clarified that photographs from followed accounts will still appear within this revised home feed, though the exact integration method wasn’t visible in the preview footage.
This potential shift toward video-first navigation isn’t entirely unprecedented within Meta’s ecosystem. The recently introduced Instagram application for iPad already defaults to opening directly into Reels from its home tab. Company representatives previously explained this design choice by noting it aligns with contemporary usage patterns on larger screens, which often serve as devices for relaxed entertainment consumption. The current mobile app experiment suggests Instagram is considering implementing a similar video-centric approach across its primary smartphone application, potentially making Reels an even more dominant feature of the user experience.
(Source: The Verge)
