Instagram tests feed with full screen like TikTok

 While you get used to some layout change on Instagram, they are already behind the scenes preparing for the next release. The full screen feed is one of these innovations and focuses on improving the display of videos. The news was announced at the beginning of May in the foreign media and even by the director of Instagram, Adam Mosserri , on his Twitter profile. 

For those familiar with TikTok, you may have already guessed from the name of the feature that Instagram's idea is to look similar to its competitor. Everything so that users and content creators themselves have an increasingly engaging experience with the application and remain regulars on the platform.

Were you excited about the news and want to know exactly how it will work? Check out the details right below!

In this post you will see:

• What is the full screen feed?
• How will the full screen feed look on Instagram?
• When will Instagram update the fullscreen feed?
• Why did Instagram go full screen feed?
• What are the advantages of the fullscreen feed for the content creator?

What is the full screen feed?

Full screen feed is the way to display videos in vertical format on your smartphone screen. This way of viewing videos is characteristic of TikTok and is very successful there.

The proposal for the new video view on Instagram is to test a new immersive experience in the main homepage feed, mainly with Reels . In other words: make users more satisfied with the app so that they get more results with its contents and, of course, spend more time on the app than on others.

How will the full screen feed look on Instagram?

Videos will be zoomed in and centered on the screen to highlight the content you're viewing, allowing for a more focused experience without the distractions of buttons or text that currently surround the post. The feed that is being tested works like this:

• all videos and images (one-image post or carousel post) are displayed vertically;
• the lower navigation bar remains with the icons for accessing Explore, Reels, Store and the profile itself;
• the icons to switch accounts, create a post, view notifications and directs are at the top;

from the official Instagram disclosure image (see below), it was not clear where the Stories will be, but from the prints scattered around, we already know that they are still at the top.

 When will Instagram update the fullscreen feed?

As reported by the director of Instagram, in early May, some users were chosen to receive the new feed firsthand. The goal is to test with a few users what their experience with the full-screen feed will be like, before releasing it to everyone.

This is common in the technology area, as it serves to assess public reception and the potential that a given idea has to bring financial returns, before definitively deploying it in the market.

But is anyone who has tried it enjoying it? From the reports we found on Twitter, the full-screen feed on Instagram was not very popular either here. Why did Instagram go full screen feed?

So far, Story is the most profitable feature for Instagram, as the format of this feature allows more infrastructure to offer ads (paid advertising) to users.

Reels, in turn, already take up more than 20% of Instagram user time ? With the constant increase in preference for video content and the worldwide popularity of TikTok, it is noticeable that there is strong competition for the attention of Internet users.

With this trend, Instagram wants to expand monetization with Reels over the years to gain followers and advertisers. So this update is part of the project.

What are the advantages of the fullscreen feed for the content creator?

As much as Instagram updates don't always please everyone, it's up to users to adapt to the news if they come to stay. For content creators and marketers in general, there are some advantages of the full screen feed that can be taken advantage of, such as:

• more possibilities to apply content ideas for Reels ;
• creation of more spontaneous videos, without being dependent on creating text + art for image posts;
• increase profile engagement with more insertion of Reels.

At the same time, the update also poses a challenge for creators, who will need to come up with a new content strategy after the new Instagram interface takes hold.

As we showed above, the news feed in full screen is still being tested with a few users of the application and it is not yet known when it will be released to all profiles and if it will happen at all. What we noticed is that viewing verticalized videos and images did not please most people who have already received the update. Let's keep an eye out!