A new Instagram test will make the app look more like TikTok.according to TechCrunch, Instagram is experimenting with a full-screen vertical homepage. Immediately upon opening the Instagram app, users are greeted with vertical content designed to “make the video more prominent and centered.” Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram video Posted on Twitter, it said taller photos and videos would start appearing in some feeds.
Test feed changes
We’re testing a new immersive viewing experience in the main homepage feed.
If you are taking the test, please check it out and let me know what you think. pic.twitter.com/dmM5RzpicQ
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) May 3, 2022
An image shared by Instagram shows a homepage occupied by a full-screen post, with comments, captions, likes and other features at the top of the post rather than below it. While there is no Stories bar at the top of the screen in the picture, Meta spokesperson Seine Kim said that once the user starts scrolling, the view displays the home page and Stories can still be accessed at the top of the screen. Search, scrolling, shopping, and the user’s own profile are still accessible via buttons at the bottom of the screen. Notifications, messages, and new posts are still at the top, and you can switch between accounts.
Still images and video posts will also be included in the full-screen feed, Kim said.
It’s no surprise that Instagram chose to test a feed focused on immersive video. The company aggressively pushes short videos to creators and users, offering cash rewards to creators who make top Reels. If you stop reposting TikToks to the platform, it will love it. In late April, Mosseri said the platform would change its ranking algorithm to reward “original” content rather than retweets. The platform has been investing in creator tools to siphon original content from competitors: Instagram began testing templates in late April that would allow creators to use the existing Reels format in their own videos.
Update May 3 at 4:55pm ET: The update includes a video mentioning Mosseri talking about testing.