By MacRumors Staff
Instagram How Tos
How to Group Video Chat With Up to 50 Instagram Users
Instagram has been updated to allow users to create group video chats with up to 50 people on the social platform, thanks to an integration with Facebook's recently announced Messenger Rooms feature.
Facebook unveiled Messenger Rooms as an alternative to Zoom and Group FaceTime last month, releasing it to a small trial group of users. Facebook said part of its plan was to extend the capability ...
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How to Secure Your Instagram Account With Two-Factor Authentication
With social media account hacking becoming increasingly more widespread, users would do well to make sure they're taking every security measure available to them. That goes doubly for frequenters of Facebook-owned Instagram, where account hijacking in particular is a recurring problem.
One of the best ways to protect any online account is by using two-factor authentication (2FA). 2FA offers...
Instagram Articles
Instagram Launches TikTok Competitor 'Reels'
Instagram has today officially launched "Reels," a new short-form video service set to rival TikTok, in over 50 countries, including the U.S., India, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, and the U.K. Reels is part of the Instagram camera of the existing Instagram app.
Instagram says that Reels are "a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos." The service features the...
Instagram Aims to Lure TikTok Creators with Cash
Instagram is offering financial incentives to prominent TikTok users in an attempt to persuade them to use Instagram's upcoming "Reels" feature, reports The Wall Street Journal. Instagram is seeking to kickstart its new Reels service by making lucrative offers to popular TikTok creators with millions of followers. Set to launch next month, Reels is Instagram's answer to TikTok's...
Bug Blamed for Instagram Unexpectedly Accessing Camera in iOS 14
Some users have noticed that Instagram is unexpectedly accessing the camera, reports The Verge.
Users have reported that the green "camera on" indicator was displayed in iOS 14 when scrolling through their feed, but not taking a photo or a video. In a statement to The Verge, a spokesperson for Instagram said that the behavior was a bug and is being fixed.
"We only access your camera when...
Instagram Tests Personal Fundraising Tool in US, UK and Ireland
Facebook says it is bringing a new personal fundraising tool to Instagram that allows users to raise money for causes they support. The feature is similar to an existing fundraising system on Facebook, but this one will begin as a small test for users in the U.S, the U.K., and Ireland.
Users with access to the test will see the new option in Instagram in Edit Profile -> Add Fundraiser ->...
Instagram's TikTok-Style 'Reels' Feature to Launch in US Next Month
Instagram's new "Reels" feature is coming to the U.S. in early August, Facebook has confirmed (via Business Insider). The TikTok-style short-form video feature made its debut in Brazil late last year, and allows Instagram users to record and edit 15-second video clips with audio and music soundtracks.
Instagram users will be able to create and share Reels to their Stories, and can access...
New Facebook and Instagram Options Let US Users Turn Off Political Ads
Facebook is adding the option for users to turn off all political advertising in the Facebook and Instagram apps from today, the company has announced in a blog post.
The option will pop up for users directly on any political ad that appears on the two Facebook-owned platforms. Users will also be able to hide ads by clicking on the advertisement or by accessing a new menu option in either of...
Facebook Acquires GIF-Sharing and Creation Platform GIPHY for $400M
Facebook today announced that it has acquired the popular GIF sharing platform GIPHY, and it will be joining the Instagram team. Instagram has supported GIPHY search in Stories for years now, but Facebook said it will "further integrate" the platform's GIF library into Instagram and other Facebook apps.
The sum of the GIPHY acquisition by Facebook is reportedly around $400 million, according...
Instagram Adds New Options for Bulk Deleting Comments and Controlling Who Can Tag and Mention You
Instagram has rolled out some new features that aim to prevent online bullying and other unwanted interactions on the social media platform. These features include the ability to control who can tag or mention you in comments, captions and Stories, and the ability to delete comments in bulk.
When it comes to who can mention and tag you in content, you can choose Everyone, Only People You...
Facebook Testing Cross-Posting Stories to Instagram
Facebook is testing a new feature that would allow Facebook Stories to be cross-posted to Instagram Stories, reports TechCrunch.
Right now, Instagram Stories can be shared to Facebook Stories, but the reverse is not possible. The new option would allow Stories to be shared interchangeably from one platform to another.
Jane Manchun Wong, who often digs into unreleased features in social...
Instagram CEO Says iPad App Hasn't Been Made Yet Because 'We Only Have So Many People, and Lots to Do'
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri took to the platform over the weekend to answer a few user questions on his story, shared by The Verge's Chris Welch. Among the many things asked, the topic of an official iPad app for Instagram was brought up, and Mosseri explained why we haven't seen one yet.
According to Mosseri, the company "would like to build an iPad app" for Instagram, "But we only have so...
Instagram Removes IGTV Button From Home Screen Following Lack of User Engagement
Instagram is dropping the IGTV button from the top-right corner of the app's home screen because not enough people are interacting with it.
First launched in June 2018, IGTV is Instagram's long-form video streaming service that's designed to compete with youtube. IGTV focuses on full-screen vertical video, with the ability to interact with other users while watching videos.
The...
Instagram Bringing Direct Messages to the Web
Starting today, Instagram is bringing direct messaging options to the web. As noted by The Verge, a small number of Instagram's global users can access their direct messages from the Instagram website in addition to the iPhone app.
The rollout today to a limited number of customers is just a test, though depending on how it goes a wider rollout could come in the future.
Direct messaging...
Instagram to Start Hiding 'Likes' in the US This Week
Instagram is to begin testing hiding content "likes" in the United States this week. The change will first be rolled out to a limited number of accounts in the U.S., and users of those accounts will still be able to see how many likes they got on their own posts.
The plan was announced at WIRED25 by head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, who also took to Twitter to share the news.
"It's about young ...
Instagram Gains Support for iOS 13's Dark Mode
Popular social networking app Instagram was today updated to add Dark Mode support for iOS 13, introducing a darker theme that activates when Dark Mode is turned on.
The new Dark Mode option is available throughout the app, from viewing the main feed to browsing to the profile. Dark Mode can be accessed by activating Dark Mode on an iPhone running the iOS 13 update.
To get Dark ...
US, UK, and Australia Urge Zuckerberg Not to Extend Encrypted Messaging to Facebook and Instagram
U.S., U.K., and Australian officials have contacted Facebook to request that it provides authorities with a way to access encrypted messages sent by users over the social network, it was revealed today.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp already uses end-to-end encryption to ensure only senders and recipients can read messages, but Facebook intends to extend the same protocols to its Messenger and...
Instagram is Developing Another Direct Messaging App to Rival Snapchat
Facebook is said to be working on another messaging app called "Threads" that would act as a companion to the main Instagram app, reports The Verge.
Despite the demise of its standalone "Direct" messaging app, the social media company still appears intent on challenging Snapchat with the development of a rival platform. To that end, Threads would promote "constant, intimate sharing between...
Instagram Website Flaw Exposed Users' Phone Numbers and Email Addresses
A security researcher found a flaw in Instagram's website that caused thousands of users' email addresses and phone numbers to be exposed online for several weeks, it was revealed on Thursday.
David Stier, a data scientist and business consultant, told CNET the website source code for some Instagram user profiles included the account holder's contact information whenever it loaded in a web...
Contact Info for Millions of Instagram Influencers, Celebrities, and Brand Accounts Leaked Online
A database that contained contact information for millions of Instagram influencers, celebrities, and brand accounts was recently leaked online, reports TechCrunch.
The database, which was hosted by Amazon Web Services and contains more than 49 million records, was accessible without a password or other credentials according to the security researcher who informed TechCrunch about the leak.
...
Instagram to Scrap Standalone 'Direct' Messaging App
Direct for Instagram, the companion direct messaging app for the photo-sharing social media platform, is being killed off by Instagram in the next few weeks.
First spotted by social media commentator Matt Navarra, this news was delivered to users of Direct for Instagram via an in-app notification, which informed them that the standalone app is "going away" and that their conversations would...
Facebook Co-Founder Calls For 'Break Up' of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp
Recently, presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren put forward the idea to reverse certain tech mergers to promote healthy competition in the market, particularly including Facebook and Instagram. In an op-ed shared today by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, that topic is revisited (via The New York Times).
According to Hughes, the Federal Trade Commission's "biggest mistake" was letting...
