Instagram is testing a new design that highlights Reels and DMs

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri Announce As part of the test, some Instagram users will be able to try out a new menu bar in the app with a different tab arrangement. It’s worth noting that the new menu bar has dedicated tabs for Reels and DMs, two of the most popular features of the app.

If you opt into the test, Instagram’s existing tabs for Feed, Search, Create New Post, Reels, and your profile page will be replaced with a new design that swaps Search and Reels, and replaces the Create Post tab with a new one for direct messages. Meta testing also allows for scrolling between tabs.

Mosseri’s post announcing the test acknowledges that these types of changes “may take time to get used to,” which is why the new design is optional for now. Based on recent announcements, it’s clear that Meta has wanted to move in this direction for some time. Long awaited aside iPad version of Instagram After defaulting on Reels, the company has also publicly said it plans to Prioritize short messages and videos Go ahead. It’s even been tested Similar Instagram tab redesign With Indian users in early October, the default tab was Reels and the second tab was DMs.

“Reels and DMs have contributed to our growth on Instagram over the past few years, so we are exploring making them our first two tabs,” Mosseri said at the time. Users who joined Instagram when it was a photo-sharing app may be uncomfortable with its slow move away from photography, but this shift reflects Meta’s decision to chase larger social media trends.

As publishing has become more professional, chatting and sharing one-on-one has become more common. If you take Meta seriously, Instagram is increasingly becoming an app for consuming content made by people you don’t know, and then talking about it in private group chats with friends. This test reflects this reality more accurately.