Instagram

After testing giving users control over the algorithm that controls the display of Reels on Instagram, Meta has now rolled out this personalization feature to everyone in the US.

With algorithms so easily thrown off by a rogue period of viewing, these new controls give users a way to redirect the algorithm back in the direction they would prefer. It is a quick and easy way to make it clear the type of content you are definitely interested in, as well as indicating the stuff that you really don’t want to see.

A long-awaited change has landed in Instagram, providing users of the social media platform with a new way to share other people’s stories to their own timeline.

Instagram has stood apart from other social platforms in a number of ways, but notably in the lack of option for the sharing of other people’s public content. Now this is changing, helping to bring Instagram in line with other platforms, and giving users something they have been asking for for a very long time.

Every so often there are posts that do the rounds on social media that suggest terrible policy changes are coming. This is happening again, with a message claiming that Meta is going to start using the content of private DMs to train AI.

The unfounded claims are being tied to a Privacy Policy update which is due to come into force on December 16. While it is certainly true that Meta’s new policy kicks in in a couple of weeks, there are falsities being attached to it in scaremongering posts that have gone semi-viral.

Instagram users are in line for a better Reels experience thanks to a number of newly unveiled camera experiences. There is quite a lot to explore here, but perhaps the most significant change is the option of posting videos up to 20 minutes in length.

The word “creator” is bandied about quite liberally in Instagram’s announcement, giving you a good idea of where the new improvements are to be found right from the start. That said, the new features and options are not really limited to that esteemed breed: the digital creator.

Instagram is borrowing an idea from TikTok, introducing a Watch History section that will be welcomed by many users.

While undeniably useful, pretty much the only thing that is surprising about this particular feature is that it has taken so long to appear in the app. It solves the problem of viewing a Reel within the app – and then never being able to find it again.

Having someone sliding into your DMs on Instagram could be about to look a little different. The social media platform is rolling out the ability to adorn direct messages with stickers as well as freehand drawing.

As this has been in testing for a reasonable amount of time already, these options may already be familiar to subsets of Instagram users – but now they are rolling out to everyone. If you are yet to experience these new messaging tools, they may not be quite what you expect them to be.

Most of the talk about teenagers using social media centers around keeping them safe or restricting what they are able to do. In many regards Instagram is no different, but now younger users are being given something extra.

Instagram’s design team has proudly announced the users with Teen accounts will be able to choose between a number of “aesthetics” for the app. Not available to anyone with a non-Teen account, the new option allows teenagers to select a different icons for the app, designed by Carlos Oliveras Colom.

Meta has announced major changes to Instagram that it will be hoping will keep regulators satisfied. Like all social media platforms, Instagram has long been under pressure to do more to protect younger users from seeing inappropriate content; with this in mind, Meta says Teen Accounts will be guided by the PG-13 movie rating.

What this means in practice is that teenagers should only be able to “see content that’s similar to what they’d see in a PG-13 movie, by default”. Acknowledging that this will not be enough to keep everyone happy, parents will also have the option of making controls stricter if they feel it necessary or preferable.

A ruling by a Dutch court could ultimately force Meta to make sweeping changes to timeline appearance in the likes of Facebook and Instagram. While it is possible to switch form an algorithm-controlled timeline to a chronological one, the court says that this should be made more accessible.

What could this mean? Right now, it is difficult to say for sure, but it could be the case that – in some jurisdictions, at least – Meta could be required to make a chronological timeline the default.

Meta has announced that it is launching a subscription service in the UK that will let users of Facebook and Instagram pay to avoid ads.

The plan has already been rejected by the European Union, but this does not affect post-Brexit UK. Separate subscription tiers are available for the social platforms’  mobile apps and the web. For anyone unwilling or unable to pay, the Facebook and Instagram experience will remain riddled with ads.

Even Instagram would concede that it has taken too long, but the wait is finally over. Instagram for iPad is real, and it is here right now.

For far too long, the Instagram experience has been based around using the small screen of a mobile, not a tablet. But now, this changes – at least for anyone invested in the world of Apple. Android tablet users will have to wait a little longer.

WhatsApp beta testers have access to a new option that allows them to link to a verified Instagram profile, complete with a special icon that others should recognize.

This ability is not necessarily something that will appeal to or interest all WhatsApp users, but it is certainly something that has value for some types of user. Creators are among those who are likely to welcome this addition, as are companies and brands looking to build trust and drive engagement.

Instagram recently added a number of new features, including sharing your location. While some additions – such as reposting – were welcome, location sharing sparked concerns.

The new Instagram map feature allows the people you are connected to on the social media platform to see your location – and you can see theirs. Instagram has pitched this as being useful to parents, but many users are worried about the privacy implications of location sharing.

Whichever social media platform you prefer, the range of features is pretty similar across all of them. Instagram, however, has only just added the option to repost content.

Instagram has been testing the reposting of reels and posts for some time, but it has only just officially launched to all users. But this is not all. Reposting is just one of a trio of new features to hit Instagram.

We first heard about Trial Reels last year, and Instagram launched the feature to a limited number of creators back in December. Now the social media giant is giving more people access to the feature which is designed to help grow a following.

There is not yet free access to Trial Reels for everyone and anyone; there are entry requirements. The promotion tool is aimed at creators, and a following of at least 1,000 is needed to get started. You will also need to have an account that is set to public. So, if you meet these criteria, what does Trial Reels mean for you?