Meta updates Facebook Reels with new recommendations engine and other features

Meta has launched a bunch of new Reels features for Facebook, including an updated recommendations algorithm.

Meta announced it's bringing an updated recommendations engine for Reels on its original social network, Facebook. It's adding a couple of other features you might have already seen on Instagram. According to the social media giant, Facebook is now smarter and faster at gauging your interests to show newer and more relevant Reels.

It will show you more of what you typically watch on the platform, such as short clips, longer videos, DIY tips, or creator vlogs. The updated recommendations engine will also take cues from the videos you bookmark using the 'Save' feature.

Meta noted that the time spent watching videos on Facebook increased by 20% year-over-year in the US. Videos longer than a minute contribute over 50% of watch time on Facebook and account for approximately 25% of the Reels produced by creators with over 10,000 followers.

Facebook's recommendation engine now surfaces 50% more Reels published on the same day to promote fresh content more quickly. It will display AI-powered suggestions for some Reels to show relevant videos without leaving the Reels player.

Meta is bringing more from Instagram to Facebook with the new bubbles feature for Reels and Feed. It displays profile picture bubbles in the bottom left corner of Reels to show that your friend liked it. You can tap on the bubble to start a private chat with the friend.

While Meta is introducing updates to how recommendations work, the social media giant has yet to add a control switch that allows users to permanently opt out of its algorithmic feed. It recently announced that user interactions with Meta AI will soon be used to personalize ads and recommendations across all of its platforms.

An Amsterdam court said that Meta employs "dark patterns" on Facebook and Instagram to make it difficult for users to find the option for a chronological feed, thereby creating "choice fatigue." The company has been given a limited time to get things in order and make a non-profiled chronological feed more accessible or face a penalty.