Video could become the starting point for more Facebook users in India, as the platform reportedly tests a new Reels-first experience in the country. Selected users are being taken directly to a full-screen video interface when they open the app.
Under the test, the traditional Feed featuring text, images and videos will remain available as a separate tab. Users will also reportedly have the option to switch back to the Feed-first experience.
The new interface was first outlined in July by Facebook head Tom Alison. He had said Meta planned to test the redesigned experience in countries where video consumption is particularly high outside the US.
Instead of opening with the traditional Feed, the new experience makes video the main starting point. Users included in the test can reportedly opt out and return to the existing Feed-first layout. The current Feed will also remain accessible through a separate tab.
India has previously been used to test changes to Meta’s short-form video products. In 2020, Instagram tested a dedicated Reels tab in India following the ban of TikTok in the country. Last year, it also introduced a Reels-first experience to a limited number of users in India and South Korea.
That Instagram experience is similar to the current Facebook test, as both open directly to a video feed instead of the traditional Feed.
India remains an important market for Meta’s video strategy because of its large user base. Data from Meta’s advertising tools cited in the report indicates that Facebook has more than 400 million users in India, making the country Meta’s largest market by user numbers.
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