Instagram Reels now has a dedicated button on the app

Instagram started testing its TikTok clone ‘Reels’ in India last month. It then launched the new feature globally in over 50 countries. Instagram’s latest attempt to make Reels more prominent on its app is by giving it a dedicated button on the home screen.

Instagram has replaced the explore button on the app with the ‘Reels’ button. In cas you’re unaware it’s the second button on the bottom bar of the Instagram app. Now instead of the previous magnifying glass icon, you’ll see the Reels icon. Instagram has pushed the explore button on top just next to the ‘Direct’ icon. The new change first spotted by Gadgets 360, is reflecting on Instagram’s iOS and Android apps both for users in India. This isn’t visible to all users though as Instagram could be testing this out. We’ve reached out to Instagram for a comment.

Instagram’s push for Reels on its app can be seen as a similar move it took for IGTV. However, IGTV never took off as expected. It’s too soon to say the same about Instagram Reels but initial feedback on the TikTok copy hasn’t been all that great.

When launched, Instagram made a dedicated spot on the explore section for Reels. The top part of the explore section displayed Reels. To help promote the feature, Instagram shows Reels from some of its popular creators on the explore tab. Reels also go up on the explore section by default but users can share them on their feed and stories as well.

Instagram users can make Reels from the Story section. It lets users make 15-second videos, add music tracks and AR effects as well. There are some video editing tools like timer, speed, rewind and align. Unlike TikTok, Instagram Reels is available as a feature and not as a standalone app. Facebook had experimented with a TikTok-like app ‘Lasso’ but recently shut it down.