Instagram is ripping the Shop tab out of its main navigation in favor of the Create button.
In a post on its Help Center, Instagram announced that it will be removing the Shop tab from the main navigation of its phone app. This move comes as a surprise to many, as the Shop tab has been part of the main navigation of the app since it was first introduced in November 2020.
The company says that starting in February, the Create shortcut will be added to the center navigation of the app, replacing the current position for Reels. But don’t worry, Reels isn’t being ripped out of the main navigation — it’s just getting bumped to the right.
Starting in February, we are changing Instagram’s navigation to make it easier for people to share and connect with their friends and interests. The navigation bar at the bottom of the app will now have the Create shortcut for creating content in the center and Reels to the right.
Reels will replace the position that the Shop tab currently inhabits and, unfortunately for Instagram Shop, it is being completely booted from the main navigation in the app. The company seems to be focusing on the shopping experience across the Feed, Stories, Reels, and ads rather than a dedicated part of the app.
As part of this change, the Instagram Shop tab will be removed. You will still be able to set up and run your shop on Instagram as we continue to invest in shopping experiences that provide the most value for people and businesses across feed, stories, reels, ads and more.
While Instagram says that the change in navigation will be occurring in February, it has not provided an exact date when the change will occur.
The news comes a few weeks after the company launched its new Notes feature, bringing back a MySpace-like feature that allows you to share a status with your friends to prompt conversation.
