Instagram is copying TikTok
Instagram is testing a new feature that makes the homepage full screen. The goal is to better highlight videos on the platform – just like TikTok.
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‘Instagram also wants to discover full screen’
Instagram continues to tweak the interface to improve the user experience. It should soon be more like TikTok. According to reliable sources, Meta (the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, among others) is testing a new function that makes Instagram’s home screen full screen.
The goal is rumored to be to better highlight videos on the platform’s home screen. You can read what this means for your Instagram experience in this article.
Instagram looks more and more like TikTok
According to TechCrunch sources, there are plans to show vertical videos full screen. The above leaked screenshot shows what this looks like in Instagram’s tests. In addition, vertical videos are shown on an almost full screen, similar to TikTok.
At the bottom you will still find the familiar buttons to access the home screen, the search bar, Reels, Store and your profile. The top bar is also unchanged, containing the icons for creating a post, the notification overview and the chats.
In the screenshot, the Stories (those round buttons at the top of your page) are not visible, but they just stay at the top of your feed. An Instagram spokesperson confirmed this to TechCrunch. The screenshot would have already scrolled down a bit, so that the Stories are not visible.
Short videos grab your attention even more. Social media wouldn’t be social media if they didn’t milk this. But it also works the other way around: If more apps resemble TikTok, more users will become accustomed to the short videos. This can result in an even shorter voltage arc.
Several TikTok competitors are moving in this area. YouTube is also betting more and more on this horse with YouTube Shorts. Instagram was already involved with Instagram Reels, but it now seems that they are taking it up a notch. Would you like Instagram videos to fill the screen? Let us know!
