Instagram is experimenting with a new design that would put more emphasis on Reels, while also providing customizable feed options for Reels display, according to a post on X by app researcher @howfxr.

This update would enable more specific user controls for in-app experiences, and further emphasize Instagram’s shift in focus towards short-video content. It also underlines why brands need to consider this shift within their IG content approach.

As these images posted by @howfxr show, the updated design would open to the main Reels feed and would give users access to a new Your Feeds center. Users would be able to visit this center by tapping a new icon that’s placed in the middle of the bottom control panel.

When users tap through to this element, they’ll be shown a selection of Reels feed options, which they would also be able to swipe through to access.

These optional feeds include Following, Friends, Latest and Saved, providing another way to access a broader variety of Reels content.

Users would also be able to choose from Favorites and Suggested streams, giving them more ways to consume Reels in the app.

The refreshed format would make sense, given that Reels is where people now spend most of their time in the app.

Indeed, in late 2024, PPC Land reported that Meta said users were sharing 3.5 billion Reels daily across Facebook and Instagram, while 50% of all time spent on Instagram, at that time, was dedicated to Reels consumption.

I can only assume that this has increased since, putting more emphasis on short-form video as the main content focus of the app.

At the same time, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has repeatedly assured users that photos remain a big part of the Instagram experience, and that the main feed of regular posts is not going away. But with Instagram users spending way more time scrolling through Reels, it does seem somewhat inevitable that the app will eventually adapt to this shift.

Instagram has experimented with opening to the Reels feed in the past, for users who spend more time on Reels than anything else. But it hasn’t taken the plunge and made this the default main feed as yet.

That could be coming, and this update does seem to logically fit with modern IG usage and engagement.