Overview

• Instagram is offering a small, optional test in India that opens the app to Reels by default, and users who try it can opt out at any time.
• Reels and Direct Messages become the first two tabs, with DMs moved to the bottom navigation bar for quicker access.
• The home screen keeps Stories at the top, and scrolling transitions into a full-screen Reels feed.
• Photos from accounts a user follows remain in the home experience, though Instagram has not shown exactly how they appear.
• Instagram is also trying a new Following tab and swipe navigation, building on an iPad design that already opens directly into Reels.