Instagram TikTok-Like Interface May Arrive Soon, Being Tested Already

Instagram tries a new trendier look. And what will it resemble? There is only one social media now that beats Instagram by popularity, and you know its name. So no wonder now Instagram also tries a full-screen main feed with one piece of content per screen and support of vertical media. The new interface is already under testing.

We had it coming. In March, the preview of this new look was published by Alessandro Paluzzi in his tweet after digging in the Instagram beta app. What Paluzzi showed back then was strikingly similar to TikTok. Not identical, though; the top bar remains in place, so Stories, as well as icons for DM and search, still appear there, like they used to.

The newer insights, though, show that Stories will also be moved from the top bar. Indeed, they will be integrated with the immersive feed. Only the previews, though, will be shown directly, with frame indicators at the bottom of the screen. To view a full story, one will need to swipe left.

And it makes sense, given now much Instagram relies on Reels now in terms of popularity boost and better content serving. Reels is a very fruitful idea; by now, these vertical videos make more than 20% of the total time spent by users on Instagram. No wonder the new interface needs to be more Reels-friendly, because the current one built about squares doesn’t show Reels videos in full unless you open them.

In fact, even if not for TikTok, the old interface looked obsolete on newer screens with a different ratio. You may have forgotten it, but Instagram was launched the same year as iPhone 4 and was made for its screen ratio that has changed much since. So, the change was due anyway.

Do you like what you see in the videos of the new interface? Or do you prefer the old one and hope Instagram will not force you into the full-screen one? If you have something to say, welcome to the comments section!