Instagram has finally crossed a massive milestone: 3 billion monthly users. It feels unreal sometimes typing that number out, but Mark Zuckerberg himself shared the news in a post on Threads. That’s a jump from the 2 billion monthly users Instagram reported back in 2022. For anyone who has watched Instagram grow over the years, this moment feels like a celebration for Meta, the parent company that oversees Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram.
Meta rarely releases user counts for its “family” of apps. The last time Facebook revealed its numbers, it had hit 2 billion daily users in 2023. WhatsApp went past 2 billion monthly users in 2020. Across Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger, Meta recorded 3.48 billion “daily active people” last quarter. These numbers show how much of the world depends on Meta’s social products, with Instagram now taking the lead in monthly engagement.
This three billion mark isn’t just a number to flaunt in their press releases or something to be hyped in the tech articles online. It shows that Instargram has gone from being this simple photo sharing social network to becoming this massive inclusive ecosystem of creators, brands, regular folks, and communities. It means new features, tough competition and, as we’re already seeing, some big changes on the way.
According to several reports, Reels is about to become even more important inside the app. Reels already gets a lot of promotion within Instagram, but Adam Mosseri, one of the lead executives, says the updated navigation bar will “highlight private messaging and Reels.” This means more people will be prompted toward the short video format and messaging, giving both features more room to shine.
Meta is also testing new ideas in South Korea and India. Some users there will get the option to make Reels their default feed, which means every time they open Instagram, Reels is front and center. The new Instagram iPad app already does this, showing Reels as the first thing people see. Meta says the bigger screens on tablets make this experience more immersive and natural, and the way things are moving, I suspect that static post sharing will soon be a thing of the past.
Most of us have grown used to daily scrolling, liking and sharing, but behind the scenes, changes like the ones coming to Instagram can affect how we engage. For creators, the increased focus on Reels can open up more ways to reach audiences. For regular users, switching from a photo feed to a short video feed means fresh content every time you refresh.
In the United States, the government is moving closer to a deal that could put control of TikTok’s US side in the hands of American investors. TikTok is still one of Instagram’s strongest competitors, especially among younger users and creative communities. Instagram’s move to make Reels more visible is likely tied to keeping pace with TikTok’s style and possibilities.
If Instagram continues to add tools that make sharing easier and interaction more fun, more people will join, and more creators will experiment. We could see Reels offer new editing options, better discovery tools, and fresh ways to connect with others.It’s not clear how quickly the feed changes and Reels-first design will spread to everyone worldwide, but you can expect to see this direction in app updates soon. For tablet users, especially, Reels is positioned as the default experience, shaping the way creators edit and the way audiences watch.
