Meta Tests Full-Screen Vertical Video Feeds on Instagram and Facebook
Meta is experimenting with a new feature that allows Facebook and Instagram to open directly to full-screen vertical video feeds, positioning itself against TikTok. App researcher Radu Oncescu discovered a setting on Instagram that defaults to Reels instead of the traditional feed, placing Stories at the top and enabling sound for Reels automatically. This trial is currently being conducted in certain countries, with users having the option to switch back to the previous layout. Additionally, in India and Indonesia, some Facebook users are also greeted with a full-screen video feed when they launch the app. Meta intends to investigate this user experience in the U.S. next year, as platforms increasingly focus on short-form video.
Key facts
- Meta is testing opening Facebook and Instagram directly to full-screen vertical video feeds.
- App researcher Radu Oncescu, based in Romania, spotted an Instagram setting that opens the app directly to Reels.
- Meta spokesperson Devi Narasimhan says the Instagram test is available in a small number of countries.
- Some users in India and Indonesia land directly in a full-screen video feed when opening Facebook.
- Facebook head Tom Alison first outlined the test in July and said the company will explore bringing it to the U.S. next year.
- The classic Facebook feed will remain available as a second tab.
- In May, YouTube announced viewers watch over two billion hours of YouTube Shorts on televisions each month.
- Netflix is preparing to shift its smartphone experience toward vertical video and short-form content.
Entities
Artists
- Radu Oncescu
- Devi Narasimhan
- Tom Alison
Institutions
- Meta
- TikTok
- The Verge
- TechCrunch
- YouTube
- Netflix
- PetaPixel
- Depositphotos
Locations
- Romania
- India
- Indonesia
- United States
- United Kingdom