Instagram Replaces Explore Tab with Reels in Bottom Navigation Bar
Sep. 4, 2020Last month, Instagram was testing the possibility ofadding a dedicated Reels buttonin the bottom navigation bar. The company is nowwidely rolling out the minor redesign, starting with users in India.
With this change,you will no longer see the search button or ‘Explore’ section in the navigation bar. Instead, Instagram has shifted its position right next to the DM section in the top right corner of the app. The Facebook-owned company hopes to increase the user engagement of Reels with this move. Until now, Reels existed in Explore and Profile sections.
Instagramlaunched Reels in Indiaafter theIndian government banned TikTokin the country. The company was testing Reels inBrazil,France, Germanyover the past year andexpanded the feature to over 50 countriesin August.
According to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, Instagram is adding this Reels tab due to the momentum the company is seeing in the country. In a statement toET, Facebook India’s director and head of partnerships Manish Chopra said Instagram is planning to integrate more tools in the future.
“Discovery through reels is driving strong follower growth for creators. Like IGTV, episodic content is surfacing on Reels. New music is finding a place in popular culture, by being available on Reels,”said Chopra.
Subin writes about consumer tech, software, and security. He secretly misses the headphone jack while pretending he’s better off with the wireless freedom.
