Instagram is testing a Reels-first UI in India and South Korea

Instagram has embarked on an innovative journey by testing a fresh interface that prioritizes the Reels feature in India and South Korea. This new layout aligns with the platform's recent unveiling of its iPad app, which showcased a similar design earlier this month. In the revamped interface, the Stories section remains at the top, maintaining its previous position. However, the direct messaging (DM) button has been repositioned to the center of the navigation bar, while the Reels tab now occupies the second spot. Users can easily swipe between these tabs for seamless navigation. Adjacent to the Reels tab is the Following tab, which introduces three distinct feed options. Users can select ‘All’ to view recommended posts and reels from accounts they follow, ‘Friends’ for content from mutual connections, and ‘Latest’ for the most recent posts and reels. Currently, this design is in a testing phase with a limited audience, but Instagram has expressed its intention to implement it globally. This announcement coincides with Meta's revelation that Instagram has surpassed 3 billion monthly users, attributing much of its growth to the popularity of short videos, which have been shared across its platforms a staggering 4.5 billion times. As a result, the platform is placing greater emphasis on Reels and direct messaging within its user interface.