Facebook has quietly dropped one of its biggest updates to date — making Reels smarter, faster, and a lot more social. The new version focuses on better recommendations, “friend bubbles” that show who liked your videos, and an AI-powered search built right into the Reels viewer.
The company says its algorithm now learns your preferences 50% faster and gives a boost to Reels uploaded the same day, making your feed feel more alive and up to the minute. These changes are designed to keep you scrolling — and talking — as Reels become one of the most addictive parts of the app.
According to Meta’s newsroom, Reels are now being watched 200 billion times every day across Facebook and Instagram, up from 140 billion last year. That’s an incredible 43% jump in engagement in just 12 months, turning short videos into Meta’s fastest-growing product.
The new “friend bubbles” are a clever social twist. When a friend likes or comments on a Reel, their profile picture now appears directly on it. One tap and you can open a private chat about that video — making Reels feel less like TikTok and more like a shared space for real conversations.
Meta has also rolled out AI-driven topic search, allowing you to explore trending content without leaving the video player. And when you save or dismiss a Reel, that input now updates your recommendations instantly — improving accuracy and relevance by as much as 30%, according to early internal data.
With 3 billion monthly users and short videos already accounting for a quarter of all Facebook watch time, this update cements Meta’s shift toward video-first social discovery. But for users in the Middle East and North Africa, there’s still room to grow. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt remain among the world’s top short-video markets, yet Arabic content is still under-represented in Meta’s recommendation systems. Local creators say better Arabic captioning, trending sound support, and region-specific discovery tools could make Reels a major force in MENA’s creator economy.
For now, Facebook’s message is clear: short video isn’t just entertainment — it’s how the next generation connects, reacts, and builds communities online. With billions of daily views and smarter AI in the mix, Reels aren’t just competing with TikTok anymore. They’re becoming Meta’s heartbeat.
Meta updates it’s algorithm with more user control over reels