Instagram head announces redesigning of the app's layout

Reels and DMs icon will appear as the first two tabs

by TEVIN MWANGU

Entertainment02 October 2025 - 11:32

In Summary

"Reels and DMs have driven most of our growth at Instagram over the last few years, so we are exploring making them the first two tabs," the Instagram head wrote.
This change will move the DM's icon from the top right of the screen to the bottom left of the screen tab. The Reels and DMs icons will appear as the first two tabs on the app.

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The over 2 billion active Instagram users are expected to notice a difference in the app's layout.

Adam Mosseri, businessman and head of Instagram, took to his Instagram Stories to announce a change the users are going to experience.

"A great way to get a lot of heat is to redesign an app used by a few billion people, so I don't take this idea lightly," Mosseri wrote on his Instagram Story, which showcased the new expected design.

"Reels and DMs have driven most of our growth at Instagram over the last few years, so we are exploring making them the first two tabs," the Instagram head wrote.

This change will move the DM's icon from the top right of the screen to the bottom left of the screen tab. The Reels and DMs icons will appear as the first two tabs on the app.

Currently, this change is being tested on a small group of people, according to the Instagram head.

"This is just an 'option' available to a small group of people in India starting today. Photos from accounts you follow are still in the home tab. If you do opt in, you can opt right out if you're not into it. We'll see if anyone is into it," Wrote the Instagram head, Adam Mosseri.

Since the app's release in October 2010, it has gone through several changes.

In Instagram's early days (2010-2016), the app featured a dark grey, blue, and white palette, accompanied by a distinct dark grey navigation bar.

Posted content was restricted to 640-pixel square images that matched the iPhone's display width at the time.

From 2015 to the late 2010s, major changes were made, with larger photo sizes allowed from 2015.

In 2016, the brand changed its logo to a new one that features a rainbow-gradient camera, and the navigation bar was made simpler with more understandable icons.

In the late 2010s, the "Stories" feature was introduced, along with direct messaging.

These regular changes since the app's release have allowed users to have a better experience with the app, from the 25,000 users on its first day to over 2 billion users today.