Instagram is testing a revised application layout that makes Reels its primary home tab in an opt-in test currently running in India, positioning Reels and Direct Messages as the first two tabs on the app’s navigation bar.
According to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, the company is “exploring” the change because Reels and DMs have been a key driver of growth. A video shared by Mosseri demonstrates the new home tab’s functionality. The top of the screen features the familiar horizontal list of Stories. When a user scrolls, the interface transitions into a full-screen, vertical video feed similar to the existing Reels tab.
Mosseri confirmed that photos from accounts a user follows will still be present in this revised home feed, although the demonstration video did not show how they would be integrated. This test follows a similar design choice implemented in Instagram’s recently launched iPad application, which opens directly into a Reels feed from its home tab.
Meta stated the iPad app was designed that way “to reflect how people use bigger screens today – for lean back entertainment.” The current test in India suggests the company is considering making Reels a more prominent part of its main mobile app.
