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Instagram listens to user feedback, making several improvements to its feed algorithm

Instagram today announced that it will be making several updates to its feed algorithm to help improve the experience for its users.

One of the larger updates is that Instagram will no longer unexpectedly bump you to the top of your feed by introducing a manual refresh feed button in the interface.

So today we’re testing a “New Posts” button that lets you choose when you want to refresh, rather than it happening automatically. Tap the button and you’ll be taken to new posts at the top of feed — don’t tap, and you’ll stay where you are.

In addition, Instagram will be tweaking its feed algorithm to push more recent content to the top. While this doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see the return of a chronological feed, it does mean that newer content will have priority over older content. However, older, yet more engaging content may still be pushed to the top.

Based on your feedback, we’re also making changes to ensure that newer posts are more likely to appear first in feed. With these changes, your feed will feel more fresh, and you won’t miss the moments you care about.

Instagram says that it will continue to make improvements over the next several months to ensure that users are happy. Hopefully, this means that we’ll see options such as a chronological feed make a return, and that the company won’t go the Twitter route and not implement a highly requested feature (editable tweets, anyone?).

Just yesterday, Instagram rolled out the ability to add hashtags and profile links in bios. The company may also launch a Snapchat QR code clone soon. Earlier this week we heard that Instagram is testing out a ‘quote-Storied’ feature.


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