Instagram just dropped a test that could fundamentally change how 400+ million Indians (and eventually everyone else) use the app. Starting late September 2025, select users in India are opening Instagram and landing directly in the Reels feed (not the traditional photo grid they’ve known for years.)
This isn’t a subtle tweak. It’s Instagram admitting what everyone already knew: reels have won, and the company is betting everything on it.
What’s Actually Changed in Instagram
- Reels are now the default home screen: When test users open Instagram, they go straight to a reels feed instead of seeing posts from people they follow.
- Stories stay visible at the top: The familiar Stories bar remains accessible, but scrolling down now takes you through an endless stream of Reels rather than static photos.
- DMs moved to center navigation: Direct Messages get main position in the bottom navigation bar, making it easier to share content you’re watching.
- Swipe-friendly design: Users can quickly swipe between Reels, Stories, Feed, and DMs without navigating through multiple menus.
The “Following” Tab
They’re not just pushing Reels, they’re also introducing a new “Following” tab that gives users more control over what they see:
- All: Shows Reels and posts from accounts you follow, plus recommended content (basically the algorithm doing its thing).
- Friends: Only shows content from mutual followers – people you follow who also follow you back.
- Latest: A chronological feed showing the most recent posts from accounts you follow. This is what users have been begging for since Instagram killed chronological feeds years ago.
Why India? Why Now?
- India is Instagram’s biggest market: With over 400 million monthly active users, India represents massive growth potential and serves as the perfect testing ground.
- Reels are already dominant: Instagram says Reels are reshared 4.5 billion times daily across Meta platforms, and usage patterns show Indians are already consuming video content at massive scale.
- TikTok competition: Even though TikTok is banned in India, YouTube Shorts and other platforms are competing fiercely for short-video attention.
- iPad precedent worked: The app already rolled out this Reels-first design on iPads in early September 2025, and it apparently went well enough to expand testing.
What Instagram Head Said
https://www.threads.com/@mosseri/post/DPR3lieCKm-?xmt=AQF0g90GRAEy2g4tCFxC-LTTsLErRtxU6JDRATRLcfpp8w
Adam Mosseri announced the test on Threads, calling it an “opt-in test” in India where Reels become the default home tab.
He positioned it as responding to user behavior: “Reels and DMs are where people connect over creativity”.
(Translation: this is where engagement happens, so we’re making it unavoidable.)
The Rollout Timeline
- Current status: Testing with a “small group” of users in India and South Korea via opt-in.
- Expansion plans: No official timeline for wider rollout, but Instagram typically tests features in India before global launches.
- Global availability: If the test succeeds, expect this to roll out worldwide “in the coming months” (not sure when)
Conclusion
The social media app’s Reels-first experiment in India isn’t really an experiment.
It’s a preview of the future.
The app that stood for photo-sharing on mobile is completing its transformation into a short-video platform that happens to also support photos.
- For users who loved Instagram’s original purpose, this shift feels like the final nail in the coffin.
- For creators adapting to video-first content, it’s validation that they made the right pivot.
- For Instagram, it’s the logical next step in chasing engagement and revenue wherever they happen to be, and right now, that’s in vertical video feeds.
One thing is clear: Instagram has decided that Reels are the future, and they’re willing to rebuild the entire app experience around that bet.
Instagram keep experimenting with new features in their app. Here’s a recent new feature that you need to know:
Instagram’s New “Linked Reels” Feature: Finally, No More Hunting for Part 2
