What comes to mind when you think of the Facebook app? The Feed, of course-the place where you see updates from friends, pages, and groups. But Meta is now looking to change that experience. The company has increasingly focused on short-form video content, specifically Reels. Now, according to a report, it is testing a new experience in India that takes some users directly to a full-screen Reels feed instead of the traditional Facebook Feed.

According to a prominent publication, some users in India are seeing the full-screen video interface upon opening the app, placing Reels at the heart of the Facebook experience. Apparently, this test is part of Meta's efforts to give video a more prominent role on Facebook. However, the company is not eliminating the traditional Feed. Users participating in the test can choose to switch back to the Feed-centric experience, which remains available as a separate tab.

For users in the test group, Facebook opens directly to Reels instead of the usual Feed of posts from friends, pages, and groups. Nevertheless, the conventional Feed is not going away; users can return to it, as it is also available as a separate tab.

Meta had already hinted at a Facebook focused primarily on Reels

This test comes as no surprise. Tom Alison, the head of Facebook, first outlined the plan in July, announcing that Meta would begin testing a redesigned, video-centric Facebook experience later that year-specifically in countries where users consume large amounts of video content. "Users are showing us that they want experiences that are more immersive, visual, and video-centric; video is where conversations happen, communities are built, and commerce even begins to take shape," she wrote. "That’s why, later this year, we’ll start testing a revamped experience: users identified as interested in more video content on Facebook will be taken directly to a full-screen video interface as soon as they open the app." "Users will have the option to turn off this feature and return to the traditional feed-based experience if they prefer; additionally, the classic feed will remain available as the app's second tab, just a click away," she added.

At the time, Alison did not specify which countries would participate in the test, though she noted that Meta would consider bringing this experience to the United States the following year.

India appears to be the first market where this test has been publicly reported. This choice makes sense given the high level of video consumption by Indian users on Meta’s platforms.

According to Meta’s data, 97 per cent of respondents in India watch videos on its platforms daily, while 89 per cent of Gen Z users engage with Reels every day. This trend explains why Meta has been progressively shifting Facebook toward video. Last year, the company announced that all new videos uploaded to Facebook would be shared as Reels-regardless of duration or format-and renamed the "Video" tab to "Reels."

India’s role in Meta’s video strategy also has a precedent. Instagram began testing a dedicated Reels tab in India in 2020, shortly after TikTok was banned in the country. Subsequently, Meta tested a Reels-focused experience on Instagram for select users in India and South Korea, where the app opened directly into the video interface.