Instagram tests new layout that puts the spotlight on Reels and DMs

Instagram head Adam Mosseri has announced that as part of a test, some Instagram users will be able to try a new menu bar in the app with a different arrangement of tabs. Notably, the new menu bar has dedicated tabs for both Reels and DMs, two of the app’s most popular features.

If you opt-in to the test, Instagram’s current tabs for your feed, search, creating a new post, Reels and your profile page will be replaced by a new layout that swaps search and Reels, and switches the dedicated tab for creating a post with a new one for DMs. Meta’s test also makes it possible to swipe between tabs.

Mosseri’s post announcing the test acknowledges that these kinds of changes “can take time to get used to,” which is why the new layout is optional for now. Based on recent announcements though, it’s clear Meta has wanted to move in this direction for a bit. Setting aside the long-awaited iPad version of Instagram defaulting to Reels, the company has also said publicly it plans to prioritize messaging and short-form videos moving forward. It even tested a similar Instagram tab redesign with Indian users in early October, where the default tab was Reels and the second tab was DMs.

“Reels and DMs have driven most all our growth at Instagram over the last few years, so we are exploring making them the first two tabs,” Mosseri said at the time. Users who joined Instagram when it was an app for sharing photos might be uncomfortable with its slow drift away from photography, but the shift is reflective of Meta’s decision to chase larger social media trends.

As posting has become more professionalized, chatting and sharing privately has become more popular. If you take Meta at its word, Instagram is increasingly 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 just reflects that reality more accurately.