Facebook will test opening its app directly into a full-screen video player instead of the traditional feed, as it looks to capitalize on Meta’s short-form video business, which has grown to a $50 billion annual run rate.

Tom Alison, Head of Facebook, announced the change alongside a broader set of product updates marking Facebook Marketplace’s 10th anniversary. The video-first experience will roll out later this year in international markets with heavy video usage, with a U.S. test planned for next year. Users placed into the test can opt out and return to a feed-first version of the app, and the classic feed will remain available as a second tab.

“People are showing us they want more immersive, visual, video-forward experiences, and video is where conversations are happening, communities are forming, and even commerce is starting to take place,” Alison wrote.

Instagram is separately testing episodic video in a new TV app, part of a broader push by Meta to pull video ad spend away from traditional media companies.

Facebook also introduced “Facebook Verified,” a free badge confirming that a profile belongs to a real person who has completed selfie verification and met the platform’s trust and safety standards. The badge launches today and is aimed at giving users confidence when buying through Marketplace or meeting people through Facebook Dating or Groups.

New Apps for Power Users

Alongside the anniversary announcements, Facebook is expanding a set of purpose-built apps for its most active users. Seller, a new app for high-volume Marketplace sellers, bundles AI-powered listing creation, a unified inbox, inventory management and performance insights. Facebook said AI tools within Seller can write a listing description, suggest a price and tag an item in about 30 seconds.

Seller joins Forum, a companion app for Facebook Groups that began testing in May with features including Group Ask and Admin AI for community management, and a revived Facebook Creator Studio app announced in June that guides creators on what to post next.

The announcement said one in three young adults on the platform in the U.S. use Marketplace daily, with 430 million items and 44 million vehicles listed each month globally. The company is also exploring letting small businesses list on Marketplace directly.

“Twenty years in, we’re always improving what Facebook looks and feels like, as people’s needs evolve, Facebook does too,” Alison wrote. “The pattern that informs our products is always the same: people show us what they want through how they use the app. We listen, we learn, we experiment, and we evolve.”

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