The sad real reason Instagram just updated its navigation bars and ruined our lives

In the last couple of weeks, you might have noticed Instagram navigation on your homepage has updated. The main bar to click around the app has changed, with buttons in a different place. If you hate change, you probably hate this.

You definitely now keep accidentally clicking on your DMs when you mean to go on your explore page, or ending up on your explore page, when you want to check your DMs. To the average user, it looks as though it’s moving buttons around for absolutely no reason, but those who are more tech-savvy have broken in down from a company perspective, and explained why Instagram has done this.

On Twitter, one user explained the Instagram navigation update, and surprise surprise, one of the main reasons things have moved is to get us on Reels more. In the last few years, Insta has really tried to make Reels the biggest thing in the world. I mean yeah, it has kinda worked, but please! Let us live!

Instagram's latest nav change is a classic example of data-driven UX.
Explaining the why in the thread ↓ pic.twitter.com/YfQM5t1T1g

— Shruti (@ShruPosts) December 15, 2025

“Instagram’s latest nav change is a classic example of data-driven UX [user experience],” the poster explained. “It’s all about usage data.

“Instagram’s head Adam Mosseri said almost all recent growth comes from Reels, DMs (now Chat), and recommendations. Users spend way more time watching short videos and messaging friends than posting or searching. UX takeaway: At scale, great design follows real user behaviour, not tradition. Put the actions people do most in the spots that feel effortless.”

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The next biggest reason is: Thumb ergonomics and competition. They continued: “Bottom nav is prime real estate…your thumb naturally lands there. Putting Reels #2 and Chat #3 makes them one-tap easy (one swipe between reels and DMs). It also creates a smooth loop: Watch Reels → Chat → Repeat. This fights TikTok head-on (endless scroll and easy sharing) while boosting time spent in the app. Smart for retention, even if it breaks old habits.”

The post concluded: “Data-driven UX is powerful at scale, but it only shines when paired with real user empathy. Big shifts like this work best with gradual rollouts so muscle memory doesn’t get wrecked overnight.”

So basically, we’re giving in to what Instagram wants.

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