Instagram now MORE like TikTok! This new feature closes gap further

Meta-owned photo sharing app Instagram is reportedly testing a new feature that will bring TikTok like a full screen vertical home feed to “bring video more front and center.” As reported by TechCrunch, despite the full screen feed, the bottom navigation bar will still be there to access the discovery tab, Reels, shopping and profile icon. The top icons of the page i.e, switch accounts, create a post, check your notifications and browse your messages will also remain the same. They also shared that the Stories icons were not seen in the test images, however, a representative from Instagram confirmed that Stories would remain at the top of the feed.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri also confirmed the same through a video on Twitter where he can be seen displaying taller photos and videos appearing in Instagram feeds. The home feed of instagram can be seen taken up by a full-screen post with comments, captions, likes, and other features placed on top of the post instead of below. Sharing the clip, he tweeted, “We’re testing a new, immersive viewing experience in the main Home feed. If you’re taking the test, check it out and let me know what you think.”

The new feature is currently being rolled out to a few beta testers only.

Meanwhile, the photo sharing app is also testing another TikTok like feature that will allow users to make a reel using an existing Template from another reel. Once the template feature will be rolled out, users will be able to copy formats used in other Reels and create their own, similar to TikTok's preset templates that allow users to drop in their own content in the preset format. The feature was first spotted by marketing manager and social media influencer Josephine Hill. He got early access to the feature and shared some of her impressions on Twitter.