Instagram reaches 3 billion users and launches updates: new interface, tools, and new format in Reels

Meta’s platform, Instagram, has just surpassed a monumental milestone, joining its counterparts Facebook and WhatsApp in the exclusive club of applications with over 3 billion users. Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri, Meta’s CEO and Head of Instagram respectively, have celebrated this achievement, which solidifies Meta as the undisputed leader in the social media ecosystem.

And to celebrate, it has once again launched new features.

 

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A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

New features for reels: greater user control, expanded data for brands

The first new feature is a test of a tool that will allow users to have greater control over their Reels feed. Through a new settings menu, users will be able to view and edit the topics they have interacted with, thus indicating what type of content they would like to see more or less frequently.

You will only need to go to the Reels tab and click on the settings button that will appear in the upper right corner. This will direct you to a panel where you may choose suggested topics or suggest your own.

Although it is likely that only a small fraction of users will take the time to manually adjust these preferences, this feature represents a gold mine for marketing. The possibility that users segment their own interests provides brands with an opportunity to better understand their audience’s preferences and fine-tune their content campaigns.

User interface update

The second update is a change in the user interface (UI) intended to improve accessibility to the most frequently used features. The Direct Messages button will be moved from the top to the bottom bar, placed alongside the Home and Reels icons. The button for content creation will now be in the upper left corner, and the search button will be repositioned slightly to the right.

This redesign has not occurred by chance. It makes it easier to navigate between core functions, reflecting how the platform is currently used, with DMs and Reels taking center stage. This, in turn, boosts interaction and time spent on the app — both of which are key metrics for any marketing strategy.

However, many users complain about Instagram’s frequent updates, as it makes it very difficult to keep up. First, there was the change in the feed from the square to the vertical format; then came the recent relocation of highlighted stories, and finally, the new format for Reels.

And in response to these changes, users sometimes react rather… passionately.

hola instagram devuelve las destacadas a su puto sitio q cojones es esta mierda ❤️‍❤️‍ pic.twitter.com/EOy66FfY8g

— marta ˚˖ִ໋✧‍⬛˚.꩜ (@martaqbdicjwj) September 11, 2025

How to upload a reel in 5120×1080

This new format supports videos in 5120×1080, among other resolutions, and completely changes the way content is consumed in the feed.

As it is an ultra-wide format, it is ideal to record your video in the highest possible quality. Afterwards, during the editing process, you must adjust the framing to fit these dimensions. However, image quality may be lost in the process, so it is best to set the video resolution to 1920×540.

This process needs to be completed using an external video editor, since neither Edits nor Instagram’s internal editor currently supports this format. Here you may find some alternative video editing tools.