Instagram will roll out UI changes in February, Store Tab will be removed from the app: All details

Instagram, the popular photo-sharing app owned by Meta, is bringing some changes to its navigation bar. While the Shop tab will be removed from the homepage, the create new Instagram post button will be placed in the center of the bottom navigation bar. The Reels button will also be located on the right side of the bottom navigation bar. Instagram introduced its mobile in-app shopping features in 2018 and added a new Store tab to the app’s home screen in 2020.

As announced by Meta in a support articlesStore tab will be removed from Instagram app in February 2023. The social media giant said that some changes will be rolling out to the navigation bar to make it easier for people to “share and connect with their friends and interests” easier. The changes will also include a create new post button that replaces the Stories button in the middle of the bottom navigation bar. Meanwhile, the Reels button will be moved to the right.

While the app will no longer have a Store tab, the company has shared that it will continue to invest in the Instagram in-app shopping experience for people and businesses across feeds, stories, reels , advertising, etc. So users can still set up and run their businesses on Instagram. The Instagram shop feature is only available in select countries.

Notably, Instagram introduced shopping features in 2018 and brought the Store tab in COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, along with the Stories tab. This feature was added to help small businesses increase their reach and connect with users via Instagram.

Last month, Instagram roll out some new features include notes, candid stories, group profiles, collaborative collections, etc. Notes feature allows users to update their friends with text and emoji, sync Timely replies to incoming notes as direct messages (DMs) in the user’s inbox. On the other hand, Instagram’s organic stories feature allows users to click on organic photos from the story camera and share their real-time activity with their friends and followers.