Instagram adds Reels, Shop tabs in its home screen, removes Search, Notifications tabs

Instagram redesigned its home screen to give users easy access to its Reels and Shop features instead of the Search tool and Notifications page.

Instagram cites a change in trends amid the pandemic’s shelter in place orders , according to a blog post. The company says it has seen a surge in engagement with short, entertaining videos on their platform, as well as online shopping.

“We don’t take these changes lightly—we haven’t updated Instagram’s home screen in a big way for quite a while,” said Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri in the statement. “But how people create and enjoy culture has changed, and the biggest risk to Instagram is not that we change too fast, but that we don’t change and become irrelevant.”

Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, first launched Reels, a copycat version of TikTok, in August.

Through Instagram’s Shop tab, users will be able to filter products by categories and explore recommended shops to order online though the business’ website or directly from the Instagram app.

In September, Facebook updated Instagram’s direct messages by adding 10 new tools to make messaging through Instagram similar to using Facebook Messenger.

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