Meta continues to update Instagram and Instagram Reels with more TikTok-like features. As reported in last week’s earnings call, it notes that its TikTok-knockoff Reels make up more than 20% of users’ time on Instagram. Now, the social media giant is testing a new feature that makes your home feed full-screen. Its desire is to “bring video more front and center” on the platform.
According to TechCrunch, users who are testing full-screen home feed can still access the discovery tab from the bottom navigation bar. It seems like the only noticeable change is the absence of the Stories bar at the top of the screen. There’s been no confirmation yet on where the Stories bar will be moved to.
Since Instagram Stories has proven to be successful for the platform, it’s odd that it has disappeared from the home screen. However, that may change as this feature isn’t available to all users yet.
As more platforms continue to become more like its competitor TikTok, the demand for short-form video features will rise. The competition is heating up as Google has entered the race with its YouTube Shorts. The company also mentioned last week that plans to test ads on YouTube Shorts as it generates over 30 billion views each day. As TikTok has become enormously popular, these social media veterans want to get in on the action.
No word yet on when or if full-screen home feeds will arrive to all users.
More on Instagram
- Instagram for iOS to adopt TikTok-like pinned post feature on user profiles
- TikTok testing paid subscriptions, Instagram rolling out new Remix features
- Instagram for iOS now offers two chronological feed options, here’s how they work
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