More people will have the option to switch to Instagram’s new user interface, which moves Reels and DMs to the second and third tabs along the bottom navigation control, and allows you to swipe between them, simplifying access to the app’s most-used elements.
As you can see in this example, posted by creator economics expert Lia Habermanmore users are now being asked to try out the updated user interface, which puts more emphasis on “your favorite spaces” in the app.
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri says that option is coming soon to all usersso if you haven’t seen this prompt yet, you will soon.
According to Mosseri:
“The first [tab] is still Stories and Feed, Reels is the second tab, DMs is third and you can now swipe between tabs. We organize the app around what people use it for most, which is increasingly reels and DMs. I know it can take some time to get used to these types of changes. That’s why we’re giving people the opportunity to try this out early before we roll it out. If you try it out, let me know what you think.”
In reality, it’s probably not a big change, although pressing the wrong button(s) in the app for a period of time will probably be annoying.
But as Mosseri notes, the main driver here is to make it easier for users to access Reels and DMs, which are now used much more than the main feed. And as such, realigning the platform around these elements makes sense, although based on the usage data, we’ll likely eventually see IG open to the Reels feed instead.
In fact, Instagram is already testing this, both in the new iPad version of the app, and with select users in India, making the Reels feed the main focus upfront.
Ultimately, that seems to be where IG is going.
I mean, the statistics don’t lie: The total watch time of videos on Instagram is up 20% year-on-yearwhile Meta has also reported that Reels are now doing well 50% of all time spent in the app.
People may argue that they prefer the traditional IG approach, where the main feed of still images takes pride of place on the screen. But the data shows that people are using Instagram as an alternative to TikTok, with the full-screen video focus being the most compelling element of the app and DMs providing the connecting, social aspect.
It’s no surprise that Instagram is rolling out this updated user interface.
But the question for social media marketers is, “How will this impact my strategy?”
Well, realistically probably not a hope. People are already much more engaged with Reels, and the main feed exposure has been replaced by both Reels and Stories, which will get more attention. Making it easy to swipe on these elements might mean the traditional IG feed gets fewer views, but that’s the case anyway, so if you’re serious about IG, you’re probably already focused on Reels and Stories.
Does this mean you should stop posting regular feed updates altogether? Well no. I still assume these serve a purpose, especially as a secondary step in the discovery process, when users click through to your profile to see what you have there. In that sense, feed posts that appear on your main grid likely still have significant value, although as a main focus for brand building and awareness, Stories and Reels should be the top priority.
This is theoretical, of course, and we won’t know what the real implications are until this new UI is rolled out to a majority of IG users. But it’s important to notice this as a usage shift and monitor your data to see what impact it has on overall engagement and your broader strategy.
But it’s coming. Whether all users sooner or later move to this more Reels/DM-focused approach, you should be aware of this shift.
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