Instagram has selected India and South Korea to test a new interface that displays the Reels page first. The company initially revealed a similar design when it launched its first iPad app earlier this month.
The new interface places Stories at the top, as before, but the direct message button is now located on the center of the navigation bar. The Reels tab moves to the second position. Users can swipe to navigate between the different tabs.
The Following tab is now positioned next to Reels. This tab provides three feed options. The “All” option shows recommended posts and reels from accounts you follow. The “Friends” option displays posts and reels from mutual followers. The “Latest” option shows the newest posts and reels.
Instagram stated that while this redesign is currently being tested with a limited number of people, the company plans to roll it out globally.
In an announcement last week, Instagram revealed it has crossed three billion monthly users. Meta added on Monday that much of this growth is due to short videos, which are reshared across its various platforms 4.5 billion times. This is why Reels and direct messages are being more prominently featured in the app’s interface.