Facebook and Instagram users could soon find themselves watching short-form videos before seeing the posts they normally expect when opening the apps.
Meta is experimenting with new layouts that put Facebook Reels and Instagram Reels at the centre of the user experience, signalling another step in the company’s long-running effort to compete with TikTok.
The tests are currently limited to selected users and countries, meaning they do not yet represent a permanent redesign of either platform.
Facebook opens with video in India
Some Facebook users in India are reportedly being taken directly to a full-screen video feed when they launch the app.
The experiment was first reported by TechCrunch, while Meta has previously indicated that its new video-focused experience could initially target countries where video consumption is particularly strong.
The company has also suggested that the experience could eventually expand to the United States in 2027.
Instead of immediately displaying a conventional feed dominated by posts from friends, pages and groups, the experimental design places immersive video at the forefront.
Instagram also experiments with Reels-first layout
A similar experiment is taking place on Instagram.
App researcher Radu Oncescu spotted an option that allows Reels to become the first content users encounter when opening Instagram.
Under the tested arrangement, Instagram Stories remain visible at the top, while users can swipe to reach the more traditional feed containing posts from accounts they follow.
The experimental setup also changes the way videos behave, with Reels playing with sound once users interact with or enter a video.
Meta spokesperson Devi Narasimhan confirmed to The Verge that the Instagram experiment is running in a limited number of countries, although the company has not disclosed exactly where.
Users participating in the test can reportedly return to the original layout.
A broader shift toward short-form video
The experiments reflect a strategy Meta has been pursuing for several years as short-form video becomes increasingly central to social media.
Instagram Reels and Facebook’s video features have steadily received greater prominence, following the enormous popularity of TikTok's vertically scrolling video format.
Other major platforms have made similar moves, including YouTube with Shorts and Snapchat with Spotlight.
What distinguishes the latest Meta experiments is how far video is being moved toward the starting point of the user experience.
Rather than simply adding short videos to an existing social network, the tests suggest a model in which video could become the first thing users encounter.
Not every experiment becomes permanent
Despite the direction of the tests, Meta has not announced that either Facebook or Instagram will permanently adopt the new layouts.
The company frequently tests different interfaces with limited groups of users before deciding whether to expand, modify or abandon them.
That leaves open the possibility that the current experiments could change significantly before reaching a wider audience.
Still, the developments demonstrate how strongly short-form video continues to influence the design of major social platforms.
If the experiments become permanent, opening Facebook or Instagram could increasingly feel less like checking a traditional social feed and more like entering an endless stream of personalised videos.
What it could mean for users and creators
For users, a Reels-first experience could mean spending more time with algorithmically selected video content before reaching posts from people and accounts they intentionally follow.
For creators, meanwhile, greater prominence for Reels could increase the importance of short-form video as a way of reaching audiences on Meta’s platforms.
The experiments therefore extend beyond a simple interface change. They could influence how people discover content, how creators compete for attention and what users expect from social media platforms in the years ahead.
Source: The Verge
