Facebook Adds Topic Search Recommendations and Friend Likes To Reels

10/07/25
Source: Social Media Today – Latest News by Andrew Hutchinson. Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of Facebook’s New Reels Updates to Boost Engagement

Facebook has introduced friend bubbles to highlight posts liked by your friends, enhancing social recommendations. It also added TikTok-style topic search links for easier content discovery within Reels. The platform improved its algorithm to surface newer videos faster and allows users to customize recommendations by marking content as “Not Interested.” These updates aim to increase user engagement and personalized viewing experiences on Facebook Reels.

Optimixed’s Overview: How Facebook Is Enhancing Reels to Compete with TikTok and Boost User Engagement

Key Features of Facebook’s Reels Updates

Facebook is rolling out multiple new features to make Reels more engaging and personalized, reflecting Meta’s strategy to capitalize on video content consumption. These updates are inspired by popular social media trends, especially TikTok’s successful algorithm and user experience design.

  • Friend Bubbles: This feature highlights posts your friends have liked directly in your feed and Reels, increasing social proof and encouraging interaction based on your network’s preferences.
  • Topic Search Links: AI-generated topic tags appear beneath Reels, enabling users to explore related content easily by tapping on relevant interests, enhancing content discovery.
  • Algorithm Improvements: Facebook’s recommendation engine now prioritizes newer content, surfacing 50% more Reels published on the same day to keep the feed fresh and engaging.
  • Personalization Controls: Users can mark content as “Not Interested” or flag inappropriate comments, helping the algorithm learn preferences faster and tailor the viewing experience more effectively.
  • Save Feature Enhancements: Saving reels now more strongly influences recommendations, encouraging users to curate their favorite content and increasing overall watch time.

Implications and Strategic Focus

These changes clearly indicate Facebook’s intent to compete directly with TikTok by adopting similar features that keep users engaged longer. By focusing on video formats like Reels and improving discovery and personalization, Facebook aims to retain its existing user base and attract new viewers who enjoy short-form video content.

While these updates enhance social connectivity by showing friend activity, the primary goal is to maximize time spent within the app. This approach aligns with Meta’s broader shift toward video as its main growth driver, reflecting evolving user behavior and market competition.

Overall, Facebook’s new Reels updates provide users with a more dynamic, socially connected, and personalized video experience, helping the platform maintain relevance in a fast-changing social media landscape.