Meta Tests Reels-First Facebook Experience in India
Meta is testing a new Facebook experience in India that opens the mobile app directly to a full-screen vertical video feed instead of the traditional News Feed. The test points to a broader shift in how the company sees Facebook, with short-form video moving toward the center of the platform’s identity.
Facebook changes the starting point
According to TechCrunch, Meta has begun testing the new interface with some users in India, taking them straight to Reels when they launch Facebook. The first screen users see can shape daily habits and influence what they watch, engage with and create.
India is a strategic testing ground
India is a logical place for the experiment because of the scale of video consumption. Meta says 97% of people surveyed in India watch video daily across its platforms, while 89% of Gen Z users watch Reels every day.
India has also played an important role in Meta’s short-form video experiments, particularly after TikTok was banned in the country in 2020.
From social feeds to algorithmic discovery
Moving from the Feed toward Reels represents more than a design change. Facebook is built around personal connections, pages and groups that users choose to follow. Reels relies more heavily on algorithmic discovery, with recommendations shaped by viewing and engagement patterns.
That brings Facebook closer to platforms built around continuous video discovery, where content increasingly determines what keeps users watching rather than the social relationship behind a post.
What it means for users and creators
The experience may appeal to users who prefer fast visual entertainment, while being less convenient for those who use Facebook mainly for family updates, local groups or community news. Meta says users can return to the traditional experience, but making Reels the default starting point still gives short-form video greater influence over the user journey.
For creators and publishers, the shift could mean more exposure for vertical video and greater opportunities to reach audiences. Text posts, photos and other traditional formats could gradually receive less prominence, even if they remain part of Facebook.
A broader strategy for Facebook
The Reels-first test follows other changes that have pushed Facebook toward video. Meta previously announced that all new videos uploaded to Facebook would be published as Reels regardless of length or format, and it renamed the video tab to Reels.
This direction also aligns with comments from Facebook head Tom Alison that users want more visual and immersive experiences, while video has become a space for conversations, communities and commercial activity.