Instagram测试让用户打开即进入Reels

Instagram正在测试一项新选项，用户可把Reels设为打开应用后的主界面。该格式去年已在印度测试，表明Meta正进一步把重心从Stories转向Reels，值得创作者关注。

What happened

Instagram is testing a new alternative UI experience that would let users choose to open directly to their Reels feed instead of the current post feed experience. The test was highlighted in images posted by app researcher Radu Oncescu, showing an option that would make Reels the main feed.

According to the in-app explainer, Stories would still be displayed at the top of the home screen as normal, while users would be able to swipe across to the traditional feed. Users would also be able to revert to the regular feed experience whenever they wanted to.

Instagram has been prioritizing Reels over its main feed for a while, and this move suggests a further shift away from Stories. The exact format was tested in India last year, with the Stories bar still displayed above the main Reels feed and users able to access the traditional feed by tapping the icon at the top right.

Key facts

• Instagram is testing an option to make Reels the main feed instead of the current post feed; users can swipe across to the traditional feed and revert whenever they want.
• Images were posted by app researcher Radu Oncescu, showing the alternative UI experience.
• The exact format was tested in India last year; Stories remained above the Reels feed, and users could open the traditional feed via the top-right icon.
• The source notes that more than 50% of user time in the app is now spent on Reels consumption, and all of the platform’s engagement gains have been driven by Reels.
• Meta is making this an option rather than a default; if more people switch and Reels engagement rises, Instagram will likely look to make it the standard for all users.

Our analysis

This test signals that Instagram’s product direction is tilting further toward vertical short video. If opening directly to Reels becomes widely available, users may spend even more time in that surface, because the first thing they see will already be a Reels feed. That would likely reduce passive exposure to static photo posts and carousels, especially for accounts that rely on the main feed for reach.

The optional rollout suggests Meta is trying to avoid the backlash that could come from forcing users into a Reels-first experience. The fact that the same format was tested in India last year indicates this is not a one-off experiment but part of a longer product sequence. If engagement rises when users choose Reels as the opening screen, the next logical step is likely to make it the default — a shift that would change how creators and brands plan content.

For social media managers, the implication is not that Stories disappear, but that their position becomes more secondary. Stories remain at the top of the home screen, but the main interaction surface beneath them could increasingly be Reels. This suggests a portfolio approach: short-form Reels for discovery and reach, with Stories still useful for timely updates and closer community touchpoints.

What it means for operators

• Shift production toward Reels-first concepts: even if your market does not have the option yet, the product direction suggests vertical short video will become the primary opening surface. Repurpose existing carousel or feed content into sound-on, short clips.
• Optimize the first second of every Reels video. If users open directly into the Reels feed, the hook, text overlay and visual pattern in the first frame become the main way to stop the scroll.
• Maintain Stories but treat them as a secondary layer. The test keeps Stories at the top of the home screen, so still use them for polls, countdowns, links and community updates, but do not anchor your reach strategy there.
• Track regional tests such as the one in India last year and be ready for the option to appear in your account. When it does, test how opening directly to Reels changes content exposure and adjust your posting cadence accordingly.