Meta unveils major Facebook redesign: What will change for users
Facebook underwent its biggest redesign in years (photo: Unsplash)
Meta has unveiled a major Facebook update, refocusing the social network on communication between friends. The app will receive a new design and strengthen key features, including Facebook Marketplace, according to TechCrunch.
Why Meta is revising Facebook’s strategy
The announcement came just days after reports that Meta might reduce investments in the metaverse, a direction previously considered the company’s key bet on the future of social media before the AI boom.
At the same time, Facebook still reaches billions of users worldwide, despite growth stagnation in certain markets, including the U.S.
As Facebook’s audience ages, the platform remains particularly popular among Baby Boomers and Generation X. Meta is also trying to strengthen its position with a younger audience.
After unsuccessful attempts to relaunch Facebook as a platform for students, the company is increasingly emphasizing a redesign of the social network aimed at Generation Z.
Marketplace as a key to younger users
According to a 2025 eMarketer report, more than half of Generation Z users in the U.S. use Facebook Marketplace. Meta also confirmed that every fourth young adult Facebook user in the U.S. and Canada regularly visits Marketplace.
Despite its popularity, Marketplace was previously hidden in the More menu. In the upcoming update, the service will appear in the app’s bottom navigation bar—alongside Reels, the Friends section, and other social features.
New design and content management
Meta notes that Reels and private messaging have become Instagram’s most popular features, which previously prompted the company to redesign the service. A similar approach is now being applied to Facebook, with a focus on friends and social interaction.
Meta updated its flagship app (photo: Meta)
Users will be able to:
- Like photos with a double-tap, as in Instagram;
- View images in a unified grid and open them full-screen;
- Use an updated search with a visual grid for photos and videos;
- Explore content in full-screen mode without losing its current position.
Facebook will also simplify creating Stories and regular posts by making music and friend-tagging tools more prominent. Audience settings and cross-posting options will be displayed in a more visible location.
Meta updated its flagship app (photo: Meta)
Comments, control, and personalization
The comment system in the feed, groups, and Reels will also be updated: replies will become more structured, icons more prominent, and users and admins will gain new pinning and moderation tools.
Additionally, users will be able to anonymously report irrelevant comments and disruptive users.
In the Facebook feed, users can indicate reasons why they dislike a post or Reel, allowing for more precise content personalization.
The comment system in the feed, groups, and Reels will also be updated (photo: Meta)
Return to the idea of a friends-focused social network
One of the key goals of the update is to restore Facebook’s reputation as a platform for communication among friends—a role the network gradually lost due to its focus on news, videos, and creator content.
Meta is introducing updated profiles where users can share information about their interests, hobbies, and travels—from favorite TV shows and music to popular vacation destinations. The company intends this to help users find friends with shared interests or get useful recommendations.
The company is rolling out updated user profiles (photo: Meta)
Users will be able to decide for themselves whether profile changes appear in their feed—previously, similar updates often frustrated the audience.
Meta notes that the updates may affect content ranking in the personalized feed. The new features will be implemented worldwide over the coming weeks.
Some changes will be available only in the mobile version of Facebook, including new navigation, search, comments, double-tap to like, and updated tools for creating posts and Stories.
Earlier, we wrote that Meta earns significant revenue from hosting ads for questionable schemes and prohibited products on its platforms.
We also reported that the developers of ChatGPT announced the discontinuation of the service on WhatsApp, citing changes in the policies and terms of use of the Meta-owned messenger.
In addition, Meta announced the complete shutdown of desktop versions of Messenger for macOS and Windows starting December 15.
