Instagram is testing a TikTok-like full-screen home feed

May 7, 2022

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Meta continues to update Instagram Reels and Instagram with more TikTok 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. The social media giant is now testing a new feature that displays your home feed full screen. Its desire is to “bring video more front and center” on the platform.

According to TechCrunch, Full-screen users can access the discovery tab by using the bottom navigation. It appears that the only noticeable difference is the disappearance of the Stories Bar at the top. 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.

The demand for short-form video features is expected to rise as more platforms become like TikTok. Google has joined the race with YouTube Shorts, and it is heating up. Last week, the company mentioned that it plans to test ads on YouTube Shorts since it receives more than 30 billion views per day. This group of social media veterans have been following TikTok’s rise and want to be part of the action.

It is not yet clear when or whether full-screen homefeeds will be available to all users.