Facebook Rolls Out “Friends” Tab to Bring Back the Classic Feed Experience

Facebook Introduces Friends-Only Feed to Reconnect Users with Personal Content

In a move to rekindle the original spirit of its platform, Facebook has launched a new “Friends” tab that strips away algorithmic recommendations in favor of a chronological feed featuring content solely from friends. The feature is now rolling out to users in the United States and Canada, with more regions expected to follow.

According to a Meta blog post, the update is part of a broader strategy to reintroduce what CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls “OG Facebook experiences,” harkening back to a time when users primarily saw updates from people they actually knew.

“Over the years, Facebook evolved to meet changing needs and created best-in-class experiences across Groups, Video, Marketplace and more, but the magic of friends has fallen away,” the company stated.

What the New Friends Tab Offers

The newly revamped Friends tab provides a streamlined, algorithm-free feed showing:

• Posts from friends
• Stories
• Reels
• Birthdays

By removing group posts, ads, and AI-generated content recommendations, the Friends tab gives users a cleaner, more intimate browsing experience—something many users have been calling for in recent years.

Previously, the Friends tab housed friend requests and suggestions. Now, it serves as a dedicated feed designed to recenter the Facebook experience around actual human connections.

How to Access and Customize the Friends Tab

Users can find the Friends tab in the navigation bar of the Facebook mobile app. For quick access, you can pin it to the navigation bar:

1. Tap the three-bar (menu) icon
2. Tap the gear (settings) icon
3. Select Settings > Tab bar
4. Choose which tabs to pin, including Friends

This gives users the flexibility to prioritize the content they value most.

A Strategic Shift Amid Content Overload

The move to a friend-focused feed comes after Facebook faced criticism for overwhelming users with recommended content, sponsored posts, and updates from unfamiliar groups. Last year, the platform introduced “Local” and “Explore” tabs to boost discovery but was met with mixed reactions.

By reintroducing a more personal experience, Facebook is aiming to retain user engagement amid growing competition from platforms like TikTok, which leans heavily into algorithm-driven discovery.

For more on how Facebook’s feed is evolving, check out this article from The Verge.

What’s Next?

Facebook has hinted at rolling out more “classic” features throughout the year as part of its effort to reconnect users with the platform’s original appeal. Whether this nostalgia-driven approach will win back user satisfaction remains to be seen—but the Friends tab is a step in a direction many users have long been asking for.