Instagram never fails to surprise us and it’s fair to say that 2021 has been a fantastic year for the platform. In fact, keeping up with what’s new on Instagram can be quite a challenge, with new updates and features being added almost weekly!
We’re taking a look back across the year and sharing some of the main updates you need to know in order to stay ahead of the game.
1. To like or not to like…that is the question!
Earlier this year Instagram chief Adam Mosseri officially confirmed that Instagram users could choose whether to display post like counts or not within the app.
This step was taken to improve the quality and safety of people’s time on the platform as cases of mental health continue to rise. Expect it to happen on other platforms too.
2. Reeling in the deep!
The usage of Reels continued to rise, with more and more people using them across their profiles.
A new Instagram option (which is still in the development phase) should allow users to turn their stories into Instagram Reels.
The main purpose of the “montage” feature is to help users create Reels by combining elements from Instagram Stories’ frames. Keep an eye out for it coming to your app in the near future!
3. Getting deleted content back
A recently deleted feature was brought in to help you get your deleted photos and videos back.
This feature not only lets you access your deleted content but is also great protection from hackers that sometimes delete content when they access an account.
The recently deleted folder keeps your deleted Stories for one day and stores your deleted photos, videos, Reels and IGTV videos for 30 days.
4. No more trolling
In a bid to combat online trolling, Instagram rolled out several updates in response to online abuse targeted at footballers during Euro 2020, including harsher penalties for those sending abuse via DM, and the capacity for personal accounts to switch off DMs completely from people that they don’t follow.
This will hugely help high profile accounts and shows the platform is taking such abuse seriously.
5. Longer Stories
As this blog goes to press, Instagram is testing new, longer video uploads in Stories, with videos of up to a minute in length no longer being cut down into smaller chunks.
Tired of Instagram breaking up your Stories into 15-second segments? This upcoming update should make you happy (should it get rolled out!)
6. Caption this!
Instagram now has a captions sticker for Stories, which automatically transcribes speech in videos. This has been a welcome addition for those users who spent ages adding their own text to Stories, making them more efficient and inclusive to watch.
To take advantage of this tool all users need to do is create their video and then click on the ‘captions’ sticker. Their video is automatically transcribed, and captions added!
7. New insights added
New insights data for both Reels and Instagram Live broadcasts were added to the app to help creators and businesses understand how their content is performing. Data includes: • For Reels, Instagram now provides data on Total Plays, Accounts Reached, Likes, Comments, Saves, and Shares. • For Instagram Live broadcasts, users are able to access data on Accounts Reached, Peak Concurrent Viewers, Comments, and Shares.
8. Finally…Everyone can get linking!
One of the latest updates involves the ability for everyone to add links in Stories.
This feature was initially limited to verified accounts, or those with a certain number of followers; however, it’s now available on all accounts!
This is a true game-changer for small businesses as they will now have the ability to directly link to their product pages and sell more this holiday season!
So, there you have it. Instagram has been a busy bee these past 11 months (and there’s still December to go!) These are just some of the highlights of what’s been happening and if you want to find out what else the app has been up to, catch up on our monthly social media updates on our Instagram account.
Want to know what Facebook and Twitter have been up to this year? Stay tuned for their blogs coming soon!
If you need help with your social media, why not drop us an email to see what we can do for you. Contact us at hello@socialsoda.co.uk
