Facebook has been checking a number of new features in the recent past for Instagram. And finally, the company is totally revamping the homescreen for the first time in years. Moreover, this has something to do with Instagram Reels and Shop tabs.
The major design change includes placing the Instagram Reels and Shop tabs right at the homescreen. Reels is the company’s answer, well, not answer a copy of TikTok, which the company launched soon after TikTok fell prey to ban in several countries.
Notably, the Reels tab will lead the users straight to Reels short-form videos. Moreover, the Shop tab, which will show personalized and curated shopping channels, shoppable videos, and new products.
This new revamp in design has been pushed by Facebook for Instagram starting on Thursday. So, it would have already reflected for many users by now.
Reels tab, reportedly replaces the Compose tab. And the Compose tab is now placed at the top of the screen. This may irk some of the users as the importance is now clearly given more to Instagram’s short video platform, Reels.
But not all is bad with the placing of the Compose tab at the top. Apparently, once the user clicks the Compose tab, it takes them to a redesigned camera.
Instagram has also moved the Activity tab (heart icon) to the top
The Activity tab (heart icon) is also moved to the top of the screen. Exactly at the right-hand corner, next to the direct messages.
One interesting thing that you could sense out of this revamp in the Instagram homescreen is about Reels. Basically, committing a separate place for the shot form video feature, Reels means that the feature is here to stay.
The strange thing here is that Instagram’s long-form videos have still not yet got a dedicated place in the homescreen. Even after being part of the social media app for quite some time now.
Users who wish to view all the long-form videos, have to make their way through the Discover page. All in all, this hints that the company has the least interest, or has no plans currently for its future.
The addition of the shop tab is not a surprising one. We have reported a bunch of times previously how Instagram was working on its shopping product over years.
It launched a dedicated Shopping page in the Instagram app with the ability to purchase items via Facebook Pay. So, we may see some aggressive addition of features to the Shopping page as well, in the coming months.
In fact, the company may invest pretty heavily in both, Instagram Reels and Shop tabs. Since, both the features now have been placed right at the homescreen.