Instagram is testing a new full-screen mode for the feed as well as an updated navigation bar in the hopes of making content on the platform more discoverable and immersive. The test, which has been expanded to a 'limited number of users,' according to Meta spokesman Seine Kim, is the company's latest attempt to compete with TikTok in the social video space.
If a user belongs to that group, they will be able to watch videos nearly full screen while scrolling through their feed; nevertheless, the navigation bar will still show beneath them. According to The Verge, the description, as well as buttons that allow users to 'like' or comment on the video, will display at the bottom, while the Instagram logo and other top buttons will appear floating above the top.
The firm has already experimented with its broadcast in full-screen mode. Even though there were still white bars at the top and bottom of the screen, a theme that may help the video stand out was tested last month. The primary navigation bar at the bottom hasn't altered much, either, although the business has been experimenting with shortcuts for creating posts and messages.
The desire to be more like TikTok isn't just superficial; according to The Verge, Meta is also changing the algorithms powering Facebook and Instagram's feeds in an attempt to stay relevant to how younger people use social networks.
Instagram's experimental UI appears to be another effort to compete with TikTok. In an article about the test, MetaCEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that photographs are "an essential element of Instagram" and that the company is striving to make it more compatible with full-screen feeds, but Instagram's leadership has been insistent that still, images are no longer the emphasis of the service. (ANI)