Meta has begun testing a version of Facebook in India that drops some users straight into full-screen video when they open the app, placing Reels at the center of the experience. The test targets a video-heavy market outside the United States, and users who are included can opt out and return to a feed-first experience. The traditional feed will still be available as a second tab within the Facebook app.
Facebook head Tom Alison first described the plan in July, saying the test was meant to deliver a more immersive, video-forward user experience. At that time, he said Meta intended to start testing it later in the year in countries with heavy video consumption outside the U.S., without naming which ones. He also said the company would explore bringing the experience to the U.S. next year.
The India test fits Meta's broader effort to make video central to Facebook. Last year, the company said all new videos posted to Facebook would be shared as Reels, no matter their length or format, and it renamed the app's Video tab as Reels. Meta has previously said young adults spend roughly 60% of their time on Facebook watching videos.
India has served as a testing ground for Meta's video efforts, especially short-form video. Instagram began testing a dedicated Reels tab there in 2020, months after India banned TikTok. The company also tested a Reels-first experience for some Instagram users in India and South Korea last year that similarly sent them directly into a video interface when they opened the app.
Video consumption is climbing across Meta's apps in India. The company said in June that at least 97% of users surveyed in Meta-commissioned studies watch video on its platforms daily, and that 89% of Gen Z respondents use Reels every day. Meta has described Reels as increasingly becoming India's personal and primary screen.
India is Facebook's largest market by users, with Meta's advertising tools indicating an audience of more than 400 million people there. The new test does not yet have a stated U.S. launch date, though Alison has said the company will explore bringing the user experience to the U.S. next year. Meta has not said how many users are included in the India test.
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