3 min read
Instagram has crossed a major threshold: 3 billion monthly active users, making it the third Meta app (after Facebook and WhatsApp) to reach that scale. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the milestone earlier this week, which renews Instagram’s dominance in social media.
Alongside the announcement, Instagram is rolling out a revamped user interface and updating the navigation experience to better emphasize core features like Reels and messaging.
What the Instagram UI Update Offers
Instagram’s user surge is fueled by strategic emphasis on video, messaging, and algorithmic recommendation. The platform increasingly positions Reels and private messaging (DMs) at its core, leveraging their viral engagement potential.
The new UI changes include repositioning Direct Messages to the bottom bar for easier access, making Reels more prominent, and allowing users greater control over what content topics appear in their feeds.
Instagram is also experimenting with a Reels-first interface in India and South Korea, where the app may default to the Reels tab at launch, underscoring the app’s pivot toward short-form content. In celebration of the 3B milestone, Instagram said it will enable features like Reels customization and a UI tweak to highlight topics users frequently engage with.
Beyond design, Instagram is also signaling a more fundamental transformation. Meta executives and industry analysts increasingly describe Instagram not as a photo app but as a full-fledged video platform. The company’s algorithm now heavily favors Reels over static posts, and brands that once relied on carefully curated photo feeds are being urged to pivot toward short-form video content. For businesses, this means embracing Reels as the centerpiece of strategy, adapting ad spend, and reshaping creative to match TikTok-style engagement.
Here’s What’s Coming Up to Instagram UI
- Advertising & Revenue: With 3B users, Instagram strengthens its position as a key ad platform, especially in short-form video monetization.
- User Experience Shift: The UI revamp reflects Instagram’s bet that future growth lies in seamless access to Reels and DMs, not static grids.
- Regional Testing: Trials in India and South Korea may influence whether Reels-first becomes default globally.
- Signal of Strategy: The milestone and UI changes combined show Meta doubling down on Instagram’s role in its ecosystem. More importantly, the platform is redefining itself into a video-first service, where creators, businesses, and advertisers must align with the shift or risk fading relevance.
Challenges, Questions & User Response
While 3 billion is a headline number, some users have questioned how much of that figure reflects real engagement versus bots or inactive accounts. Instagram clarified that “active” status typically refers to interactions within a 30-day window.
The shift in UI and emphasis on Reels signals a deeper change in Instagram’s identity. Many longtime photo-centric users see this as a move away from Instagram’s original ethos toward a more video-first platform. Businesses, too, face a critical choice: adapt quickly to the algorithm’s preference for video or risk losing reach and visibility.
