Facebook Supercharges Reels Discovery With Topic Search and Friend-Like Signals

Facebook has unveiled a new series of updates aimed at boosting Reels engagement — including visible indicators showing when friends have liked a post, and algorithm improvements designed to surface newer videos more quickly.
The goal, of course, is simple: keep users watching longer. And with more than 3.5 billion Reels shared across Facebook and Instagram each day, Meta’s focus on short-form video remains unwavering.
(Though perhaps not ideal for users already caught in endless scrolling loops, it’s undeniably great for Meta’s bottom line.)
First up, Facebook is rolling out “friend bubbles” — a new visual element that will highlight Reels and feed posts liked by your friends.

As you scroll, you’ll begin seeing posts recommended from people within your network, effectively personalizing the discovery process through social connections.
Instagram introduced a nearly identical feature earlier this year, so this will feel familiar to anyone active on both platforms. But for Facebook users, it’s a new way to stay tuned into what friends are engaging with — and perhaps a gentle reminder that your likes are no longer entirely private.
Facebook is also introducing topic search links beneath Reels, echoing a feature long popularized by TikTok.

As shown in the example, Facebook will now use AI to identify topics from videos (like “soup dumpling recipes”) and display tappable links, allowing users to instantly jump into related content searches.
In essence, the first update borrows from Instagram, the second from TikTok — and if you’re familiar with either, you’ll know exactly what to expect.
On the technical side, Facebook is also upgrading its Reels recommendation algorithm with a stronger emphasis on freshness.
According to Facebook:
“Facebook continues to be the home for all types of video, and our recommendations will help ensure you see fresher content in the formats you enjoy most, regardless of length. If you prefer longer videos, you’re in luck – reels over a minute make up a quarter of reels produced by creators with over 10,000 followers and over 50% of watch time on Facebook. Our recommendation engine is also now surfacing 50% more reels from creators published that day, so you see the newest content faster.”
The company also adds that it’s improving the system’s ability to “understand your interests faster,” suggesting a push to replicate TikTok’s near-magical accuracy in adapting to individual user preferences. Whether it can achieve that same intuitive feel remains to be seen.
In addition, Facebook is introducing a new “Not Interested” button, allowing users to directly tell the platform when a post or comment isn’t relevant. At the same time, Facebook will now give saved posts more weight in determining what to recommend next.
“You can tap ‘Not Interested’ on a reel or flag a comment that doesn’t fit the spirit of the conversation and the recommendations engine will respond to these signals, making your reels even more personalized. Plus, we’ve made updates to the Save feature to make it simpler to collect your favorite reels and posts in one place. You’ll help Facebook fine-tune your recommendations with each save, resulting in a more tailored experience that we’ve seen lead to increased watch time globally.”
So — smarter recommendations, faster algorithmic learning, and more tools to shape what you see.
Sound familiar? It should. Facebook’s approach increasingly mirrors TikTok’s playbook, right down to how it learns from engagement patterns and surfaces hyper-relevant content. One could argue Facebook anticipated a TikTok ban in the U.S. and positioned itself to fill that potential vacuum. But realistically, for the many users who’ve never opened TikTok, these updates will feel fresh and engaging on their own.
At a broader level, these shifts reinforce Meta’s continued commitment to video, where most of its user growth and engagement now occur. And while Facebook frames these features as a way to help users stay more connected — showing what friends are watching or liking — the real objective is clear: keep users in the app for as long as possible.
Still, given the staggering popularity of Reels, it’s hard to argue with the logic. These changes may not reinvent Facebook, but they’ll almost certainly keep the scrolling going — which is exactly what Meta wants.
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