Facebook has started testing a new Reels-first experience in India, putting full-screen video content at the centre of the app for some users. The new interface is designed for people who are more interested in video and aims to make it easier to discover Reels, creators and conversations on the platform.
Facebook Tests Video-First Experience in India
The new Reels-first interface is being tested with selected users in India. Facebook says the experience is designed specifically for people who are likely to want more video content, giving them a more visual way to discover videos when they open the app.
Rather than requiring users to navigate through the traditional Facebook feed before reaching video content, the new experience puts full-screen video front and centre. Users can discover content from creators while continuing to engage with conversations and other content available on Facebook. The company has not announced a wider rollout for the new interface yet, meaning the existing Facebook experience will continue to be available for users who are not included in the test. The move highlights how important short-form video has become to Facebook's overall strategy. Reels has increasingly become a major way for users to discover entertainment and creators, while also giving creators another avenue to reach audiences on the platform.
By testing a Reels-first experience, Facebook is effectively experimenting with changing the starting point of the app for users who consume a significant amount of video. Instead of making video one part of the broader Facebook feed, the company is testing an experience where video becomes the primary entry point. Meta has previously discussed its efforts to make Facebook more focused on connecting people with real content, creators and conversations. The latest test appears to build on that direction by making video discovery more immediate for users who prefer that format.
What the Reels-First Facebook Experience Means for Users
The test is targeted, not a universal redesign. Facebook is therefore testing whether a Reels-first approach works better for users who already show a strong preference for video before potentially considering a broader rollout. Facebook's Reels-first experiment makes sense as the platform competes for users' increasingly limited attention around short-form video. The interesting part is not simply that Facebook is giving Reels more visibility, but that it is testing whether video should become the first thing users see when they open the app. If the experiment delivers stronger engagement among video-heavy users, it could eventually influence how Facebook's core interface evolves in India and potentially other markets. For now, however, this remains a limited test rather than a full replacement of Facebook's traditional feed experience.
