Instagram Tests Reels-First Interface in India and South Korea
▼ Summary
– Instagram is testing a new interface in India and South Korea that prioritizes the Reels page by displaying it first.
– The redesign includes Stories at the top, a central DM button on the navigation bar, and the Reels tab moved to the second position.
– A Following tab is introduced with three feed options: “All” for recommended content, “Friends” for mutuals, and “Latest” for new posts.
– Meta attributes much of its growth to short videos, which are reshared 4.5 billion times monthly across its platforms.
– The company plans to roll out this interface globally after the limited testing phase, emphasizing Reels and DMs more prominently.
Instagram is currently trialing a major redesign in India and South Korea, placing its short-form video feature, Reels, at the very forefront of the user experience. This experimental interface greets users with the Reels page first, signaling a strategic shift toward prioritizing video content. The move follows a similar design approach seen in the recently launched Instagram app for iPad.
The updated layout retains Stories at the top of the screen, but introduces significant changes to the navigation bar. The direct message icon has been relocated to the center of the bar for easier access. Meanwhile, the Reels tab itself moves to the second position. Users can smoothly swipe between the different sections of the app to navigate.
A new “Following” tab appears adjacent to Reels, offering users a choice between three distinct feed views. The “All” option presents a mix of recommended posts and Reels from followed accounts. Selecting “Friends” filters the feed to show content exclusively from mutual followers. Finally, the “Latest” view organizes posts and Reels in a simple chronological order, showing the newest content first.
Although this redesign is currently available to a limited test group, Instagram’s stated intention is to eventually launch it worldwide. This development coincides with a recent announcement from parent company Meta, which revealed that Instagram has surpassed three billion monthly active users. A significant driver of this growth is attributed to the immense popularity of short videos. These clips are shared across Meta’s family of apps a staggering 4.5 billion times each day. This overwhelming user engagement with video content is the fundamental reason behind the decision to give Reels and direct messaging a more prominent placement within the app’s interface.
(Source: TechCrunch)
