Instagram

Instagram is adding what Mark Zuckerberg describes as “one of the most requested features we’ve had.” Starting today, you can now add up to five links to your Instagram bio, resolving a long-standing feature gap that forced Instagram users to opt for third-party tools like Linktree instead.

Instagram has been aggressively trying to compete with TikTok when it comes to short videos. Now the social network has announced multiple new features for its Reels platform in an attempt to make it more attractive to creators.

Believe it or not, Meta has found the space for more ads in Instagram. The company has announced that it is now allowing Instagram advertisers to place ads in search results for the first time. “Ads will show up in the feed that people can scroll when they tap into a post from search results,” the company says.

If you’re experiencing issues when trying to use Instagram on Wednesday night, you’re not alone. Instagram is currently facing outages and is down for users around the world. Here’s what we now know about the issue affecting Instagram users.

Facebook has been working on ways to prevent the posting of so-called “revenge porn” – aka non-consensual sharing of explicit photos by former partners and others – and sextortion attempts, especially those against teenagers.

Its first tool, back in 2017, was so scary that few were willing to use it: You had to upload nudes to Facebook in order to have them tagged for blocking! But a new tool, geared initially to teenagers, will allow them to create digital fingerprints, right on their own device …

If you’re having trouble with Instagram this afternoon, it’s not just you. Instagram appears to be down for many users, with the outage primarily impacting the ability to create new posts and stories. Here’s what we know right now…

Over the last few years, Meta has been shifting the focus of Instagram – which was born as a photo app – to compete with short video apps like TikTok. However, this has left many users upset. And after Instagram reversed design changes that made its app more similar to TikTok, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has now admitted that the platform has been pushing “too many videos” on its users.

Back in 2018, Instagram introduced new shopping features in its mobile app to let users buy products they see in photos and videos. The company even added a new Shop tab to the home screen of its app in 2020 as an attempt to push these features further. However, Instagram is now taking a step back as it will soon remove the Shop tab from its app.

Updated with love annually since 2018…

Despite Meta’s best efforts to tank it, Instagram has remained a population destination away from Facebook and Twitter. There’s something about the constraints of mostly photo and video sharing that just feels healthier. Instagram is also an twelve-year-old iPhone app — it launched the same year as the iPad. As 2023 rolls in, the refusal to make an iPad version that isn’t just the web remains a head scratcher.

Instagram this week rolled out a new feature to users they are calling “Notes,” a way for users to leave a sort of status update – or Away Message – to their followers or to their Close Friends.

It has been a while since Instagram introduced a website to let users access the social network from anywhere through a web browser. Over time, Instagram Web has been updated with many new features. This week, the Instagram website has been completely redesigned to take advantage of larger screens.

Meta on Wednesday announced new features coming soon to Facebook and Instagram that will enhance the experience for creators using both platforms. This includes updates on NFT, Instagram subscriptions, and Facebook Stars. The news comes as the company holds its Creator Week conference with in-person events around the world.

Facebook and Instagram boosts are a popular way for creators to give their posts extra reach by paying Meta to show them to more people. Apple has updated its App Store rules to say that any boosts purchased through the iOS apps must use in-app purchases (IAP), giving the iPhone maker a 30% cut.

Meta has called this an Apple tax on ads, and says that the Cupertino company is growing its own ad business while undercutting competitors …

An Instagram bug that causes the iOS app to crash on opening has been affecting a number of users on Wednesday. On the web, a few users shared their reports of the bug, which doesn’t seem to be widespread at this point – but has still been annoying some iPhone users.

Even more ads will soon start appearing in your Instagram feed, Meta announced today. With these changes, advertisers will now be able to place ads on the Explore homepage as well as directly in profile feeds. The addition of more ads comes as Instagram continues to face backlash for recent changes…

Exposure to a massive amount of self-harm content on both Instagram and Pinterest played a key role in the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell, concluded an inquest.

Executives from both social media companies have admitted that the teenager was exposed to material she should not have been able to see, and apologized for the failings …