Meta announced a series of new updates to the Reels short-video feature on the Facebook app, aimed at improving user engagement and content discovery through enhanced recommendation tools and social interaction features. According to the company, Facebook's updated recommendation algorithm can now learn users' interests more quickly, allowing the platform to display newer and more relevant videos.
Meta said the update has increased the visibility of newly published videos by 50%, helping users access the latest content from creators on the same day of release. The company also introduced a new feature called ‘Friend Bubbles,’ which appears in the corner of a video to indicate when a friend has liked it. Users can tap the bubble to start a direct conversation, adding a more personal and interactive layer to video engagement.
Meta noted that the latest changes build on updates introduced in June, when all Facebook videos were unified under the Reels category and time limits were removed — a move designed to simplify the viewing experience and support the growth of short-form content on the platform. These enhancements come amid intensifying competition in the short-form video market, as major platforms continue to innovate to capture users' attention and increase watch time.
