Instagram recently tested a new way for users to browse their feeds, with a feed that scrolled horizontally instead of one that scrolled vertically. This test hit enough users around the world to get "Instagram Update" and "#NewInstagram" trending on Twitter (via The Independent), but Matt Navarra has confirmed that it was just a test that was meant for a "very small" group of individuals.
Anyone who saw the update should see their feeds reverted back to vertical scrolling soon. With the update, users had to scroll through traditional Instagram posts in the same way that they browse through Instagram Stories: by tapping the right or left edges of the screen. This completely replaced Instagram's typical vertical list of posts that users would scroll through, which led to many frustrated responses to the update on Twitter.
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Well @instagram is ruined pic.twitter.com/xNivrzY0NF — Alexandra Arsene (@lexaarsene) December 27, 2018
Those who got the update saw a brief message: "Introducing a new way to move through posts. Tap through posts, just like you tap through stories." The Independent reported that a massive number of users in the United Kingdom received the update on Thursday afternoon.
Top Rated Comments
Hey instagram, stop messing with the phone app, and release an ipad version already!
Good thing I never update my apps.
This was definitely something they had built into a previous version, because a whole bunch of people who hadn't updated in a while were seeing it. The old Facebook trick of adding new features early so that they can rollout and people can't just say "well I won't update then".