Instagram has hit a staggering 3 billion monthly active users. To celebrate this momentous milestone, the company has now introduced a new Reels-first experience in India. The new user interface is being tested out on a select userbase in India first, before rolling it out to all users worldwide.

The social media platform notes that short-form video and messaging are fueling this growth. Instagram claims that Direcnt Messaging is now the most popular way to share photos and videos, while Reels are reshared over 4.5 billion times daily across Meta platforms, sparking viral trends worldwide.

To capitalise on this, Instagram is testing a Reels-first experience for select users in India. Opening the app lands users directly in Reels, with Stories accessible at the top and Direct Messages (DMs) just a swipe away. A new 'Following' tab offers curated feeds, “All” for recommended content from followed accounts, “Friends” for mutual follows, and “Latest” for chronological posts.

India’s diverse Reels content makes it a prime testing ground, with potential to inspire global users. Instagram is also simplifying navigation globally, moving DMs to the center of the navigation bar and Reels to the second tab for seamless swiping between features.

Recent updates further enhance the platform. Instagram introduced collaborative carousel posts, allowing multiple users to contribute to a single post, boosting group creativity. The “Add Yours” sticker for Reels now prompts interactive challenges, driving engagement. Additionally, new Story filters and editing tools, like advanced text overlays and effects, empower users to create more dynamic content. The platform also rolled out enhanced privacy controls, including refined comment moderation and restricted DM settings, to foster safer interactions.