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Instagram is developing a feature that helps users find shared interests

techcrunch.com Aisha Malik 2025-11-24 21:35:41

Instagram is working on a feature called “Picks” that aims to help users find common interests. The Meta-owned social network confirmed to TechCrunch that Picks is an internal prototype and isn’t being tested externally. The feature was first spotted by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, who often finds unreleased features while they’re still under development. According to screenshots shared by Paluzzi, people select their favorite movies, books, TV shows, games, and music, or their “Picks.

Topics: feature friends instagram picks social

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What Even Is Instagram Now?

wired.com Reece Rogers 2025-12-01 10:00:00

In her classic novel Frankenstein, author Mary Shelley imagines a monster that's reanimated with its piecemeal body sewn together, tendon by tendon. “The dissecting room and the slaughter-house furnished many of my materials,” Shelley writes. That’s exactly what scrolling through Instagram feels like right now—an ungodly morass of features stitched together. It’s an AI search tool! It’s a shopping app! It’s getting on my last nerve. Instagram is having a full-blown identity crisis, and I’m exha

Topics: app feature features friends instagram

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Facebook and Instagram may be down for some users

9to5mac.com Zac Hall 2025-12-02 21:22:24

Meta is apparently experiencing some capacity of server issues today. According to Downdetector, user reports of Facebook and Instagram not refreshing have spiked recently. Meta hasn’t acknowledged any outage on its system status page yet, and Facebook appears to be loading fine here. But if you’re having issues loading either app today, Downdetector shows that you’re not alone. ❗️Can't refresh your feed or messages on Facebook and Instagram? You're not alone! Downdetector users have been

Topics: downdetector facebook instagram issues meta

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Instagram’s Map is here, and this is how you can turn your location off

theverge.com Richard Lawler 2025-12-02 20:27:48

is a senior editor following news across tech, culture, policy, and entertainment. He joined The Verge in 2021 after several years covering news at Engadget. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. It’s only been a couple of days since the Instagram Map launched, and from the looks of our social feeds, people are not happy about it. Responses have ranged from being mildly annoyed that Instagram is ripping off Snapchat’s Snap Maps instead of offe

Topics: feature instagram location map posts

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Instagram’s Map is here, and this is how you can turn it off

theverge.com Richard Lawler 2025-12-03 02:27:48

is a senior editor following news across tech, culture, policy, and entertainment. He joined The Verge in 2021 after several years covering news at Engadget. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. It’s only been a couple of days since the Instagram Map launched, and from the looks of our social feeds, people are not happy about it. Responses have ranged from being mildly annoyed that Instagram is ripping off Snapchat’s Snap Maps instead of offe

Topics: feature instagram location map posts

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How to use Instagram Map and protect your privacy

techcrunch.com Aisha Malik 2025-12-03 02:53:44

Following Wednesday’s launch of Instagram’s new Snap Map-like opt-in “Instagram Map” feature — which lets U.S. users share their most recent active location with others and discover location-based content — Instagram head Adam Mosseri is having to reassure people that their location is only visible to others if they decide to share it. Although Meta has made it clear that location sharing is off by default, there have been numerous posts on social media urging users to turn off location sharing,

Topics: feature instagram location map new

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Instagram's map feature spurs user backlash over geolocation privacy concerns

cnbc.com Jonathan Vanian 2025-12-04 06:12:04

The launch of an Instagram feature that details users' geolocation data illicited backlash from social media users on Thursday. Meta debuted the Instagram Map tool on Wednesday, pitching the feature as way to "stay up-to-date with friends" by letting users share their "last active location." The tool is akin to Snapchat's Snap Map feature that lets people see where their friends are posting from. Although Meta said in a blog post that the feature's "location sharing is off unless you opt in,"

Topics: feature instagram location map said

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How to use Instagram Map and set your location-sharing preferences

techcrunch.com Aisha Malik 2025-12-05 02:05:42

This week, Instagram introduced a new Snap Map-like feature called Instagram Map that lets U.S. users share their most recent active location with others and discover location-based content. If you decide to turn on your location on Instagram Map, your location only updates when you open the app or have it running in the background, meaning it doesn’t provide continuous, real-time location updates. This is different from Snap Map, which lets users choose whether their location is updated only w

Topics: feature instagram location map new

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Adam Mosseri says 'people are confused' about how the Instagram map works

engadget.com Unknown 2025-12-05 11:47:40

Yesterday, Meta introduced a new map feature that's almost identical to Snapchat's Snap Map. The feature has quickly sparked a backlash, though, and not just because it's yet another example of Instagram ripping off a Snapchat feature. While the map requires users to opt-in to share their location, many users were surprised and alarmed to see that their Instagram map was already populated with the locations of some accounts when it launched. That's because the map automatically pulls in locatio

Topics: advertisement instagram location map tagged

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Instagram adds a new friends map feature that sure looks a lot like the Snap Map

engadget.com Unknown 2025-12-06 02:29:40

Instagram just announced an update with some long-requested features. The most notable is the introduction of a location-sharing tool for friends, though the long-awaited reposting tool is nothing ot sneeze at, either. Once opted into, the map shares a user's last active location with chosen contacts. The location sharing feature is turned off until selected and there are numerous customization controls. For instance, Instagram users can choose to share location data with all friends, Close Fri

Topics: friends instagram just location snapchat

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Instagram Adds New Features, Including Reposts and Maps

cnet.com See Full Bio 2025-12-07 23:59:00

Instagram has launched new features aimed at further connecting users with their online contacts, the company announced Wednesday. One involves sharing public feed posts and reels, another shares locations with others on an Instagram map, and a new Friends tab shows what content your contacts have liked or commented on. For reposts, you'll be able to share public reels and feed posts from other users. The original poster will be credited and those reshares will appear in the sharer's profile in

Topics: instagram location new posts reels

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Instagram's new location sharing feature sure looks a lot like the Snap Map

engadget.com Unknown 2025-12-08 05:08:11

Instagram just announced an update with some long-requested features. The most notable is the introduction of a location-sharing tool for friends. Once opted into, the map shares a user's last active location with chosen contacts. The location sharing feature is turned off until selected and there are numerous customization controls. For instance, Instagram users can choose to share location data with all friends, Close Friends, selected accounts or nobody at all. This data can be restricted wh

Topics: friends instagram just location sharing

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Instagram adds two familiar social media features to its app

9to5mac.com Zac Hall 2025-12-08 08:49:56

Meta is updating Instagram today with some familiar social network features from other services. For example, the photo- and video-sharing service is basically getting its own version of the classic retweet. Separately, Instagram continues to take inspiration from Snapchat with its own social map feature. Instagram is two months shy of turning 15, and as a sign of maturity, we’re getting the first official repost button: With reposts, you can repost public reels and feed posts, making it easie

Topics: friends instagram location map sharing

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Instagram adds a reposts feed and rips off Snap Maps

theverge.com Mia Sato 2025-12-09 02:00:00

Instagram is getting several new features that pull from competitors, and it’s updating a controversial feature that it added earlier this year. Starting today, users will have the ability to repost public Reels and grid posts from other accounts. And similar to TikTok, reposts will be collected in a designated tab on your profile and sprinkled into the feeds of people who follow you. It’s a small but meaningful shift from how Instagram currently operates: until now, the most efficient way to s

Topics: feature instagram map tab users

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Instagram takes on Snapchat with new ‘Instagram Map’

techcrunch.com Aisha Malik 2025-12-09 02:00:00

Instagram is rolling out Instagram Map, a new feature that lets users share their most recent active location with others and discover location-based content. The Meta-owned social network is also launching reposts, and making its “Friends” tab in Reels available globally. With its new map feature, Instagram is copying yet another popular feature from Snapchat, after cloning the app’s core Stories functionality back in 2016. Instagram is coming for Snap Map’s crown, a feature that recently surp

Topics: feature instagram location map users

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Meta Debuts More Instagram Protections for Teen Users. Here's What's New

cnet.com See Full Bio 2025-12-28 16:00:00

Meta this week unveiled the latest efforts it's making to bolster the safety of teens and kids on its social media apps, with a particular focus on the teen-skewing Instagram. The company has touted these new features for Instagram in a blog post, most notably adding more information and warnings about accounts that teens might try to contact via direct messages. "We've added new safety features to DMs in Teen Accounts to give teens more context about the accounts they're messaging and help the

Topics: accounts instagram meta new post

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Meta updates safety features for teens. More than 600,000 accounts linked to predatory behavior

cnbc.com Zach Vallese 2026-01-06 03:00:01

Facebook and Instagram icons are seen displayed on an iPhone. Meta on Wednesday introduced new safety features for teen users, including enhanced direct messaging protections to prevent "exploitative content." Teens will now see more information about who they're chatting with, like when the Instagram account was created and other safety tips, to spot potential scammers. Teens will also be able to block and report accounts in a single action. "In June alone, they blocked accounts 1 million ti

Topics: accounts children instagram meta teens

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Instagram adds new protections for accounts that primarily feature children

techcrunch.com Aisha Malik 2026-01-06 03:00:00

Meta is introducing additional safeguards for Instagram accounts run by adults that primarily feature children, the company announced on Wednesday. These accounts will automatically be placed into the app’s strictest message settings to prevent unwanted messages, and will have the platform’s “Hidden Words” feature enabled to filter offensive comments. The company is also rolling out new safety features for teen accounts. Accounts that will be placed into the new, stricter message settings inclu

Topics: accounts children instagram meta new

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Adam Mosseri to hand off day-to-day at Threads to Meta’s AI lead

9to5mac.com Marcus Mendes 2026-01-13 23:06:53

After two years under Instagram head Adam Mosseri, Meta is officially handing off Threads to a new leader. Here’s what the change could mean for the app’s future. As first reported by Axios, Meta is naming longtime executive Connor Hayes, formerly head of generative AI product, as the new head of Threads starting in September. The move marks the first time someone outside Instagram will take the reins of the text-based social app, in yet another sign that Meta seems to be finally getting serio

Topics: app instagram meta mosseri threads

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Adam Mosseri steps back from Threads, app to be overseen by Meta’s AI lead

9to5mac.com Marcus Mendes 2026-01-14 11:06:53

After two years under Instagram head Adam Mosseri, Meta is officially handing off Threads to a new leader. Here’s what the change could mean for the app’s future. As first reported by Axios, Meta is naming longtime executive Connor Hayes, formerly head of generative AI product, as the new head of Threads starting in September. The move marks the first time someone outside Instagram will take the reins of the text-based social app, in yet another sign that Meta seems to be finally getting serio

Topics: app instagram meta mosseri threads

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Meta appoints generative AI VP to run Threads

techcrunch.com Amanda Silberling 2026-01-15 16:43:51

In Brief Meta appointed Connor Hayes, Meta’s VP of product for generative AI, to become the head of Threads, per Axios. Until now, Instagram head Adam Mosseri has been in charge of Threads. But the platform has grown into more than a side product of Instagram, necessitating additional leadership. Though Threads only launched in 2023, its mobile daily active user (DAU) numbers are fast approaching those of X, according to market intelligence provider Similarweb. Currently, Threads is averaging

Topics: dau instagram meta million threads

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Threads is testing Facebook account sign-ups

engadget.com Unknown 2026-01-17 21:12:15

The option is mentioned in a support article but doesn't appear to be widely available yet. Threads is testing letting you sign up with a Facebook account rather than an Instagram account. The new option, spotted by Social Media Today, doesn't appear to be widely available yet, but is already mentioned in a Meta support article. Besides making it easier for people who don't have an Instagram account to quickly create an account on Meta's X and Bluesky competitor, this new Facebook sign up opti

Topics: account facebook instagram meta threads

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Two years in, Apple is now officially on Threads

9to5mac.com Marcus Mendes 2026-02-13 11:07:49

It took a minute, but Apple has at last activated its official Threads account. And thanks to its massive Instagram presence, it instantly picked up nearly 5 million followers. Today’s move comes well after several Apple-related accounts joined Instagram’s alternative to X right out of the gate. Apple Music, Apple News, Apple Books, Shazam, and Beats by Dre were among the first to show up shortly after Threads launched in mid-2023, but the main @apple account remained absent until now. Instant

Topics: apple instagram million presence threads

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Meta users say paying for Verified support has been useless in the face of mass bans

techcrunch.com Sarah Perez 2026-02-14 21:54:35

When Meta launched its paid verification service, Meta Verified, in 2023, the tech giant promised users and businesses alike that part of the offering would include direct access to customer support. However, amid a mass ban wave affecting Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as Facebook Groups, some Meta Verified paying subscribers say they’re receiving little to no help from Meta’s customer service reps, even when they’re facing their most serious crisis yet: a mistakenly suspended account

Topics: account instagram meta users verified

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Threads gets its own DMs as app distances itself from Instagram

techcrunch.com Sarah Perez 2026-02-16 11:00:00

Instagram Threads is rolling out users’ most-requested feature to date: the ability to message people directly, without having to switch to another app, like Instagram. The company said direct messages (DMs) will begin rolling out to users globally beginning on Tuesday, alongside a new visual element called highlighter. The latter will emphasize interesting perspectives and conversations, Meta says, starting with Trending Topics. At launch, Threads DMs offer a basic set of features. They’ll su

Topics: instagram like meta threads users

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AI Videos of Black Women Depicted as ‘Bigfoot’ Are Going Viral

wired.com Reece Rogers 2026-02-17 06:31:30

An AI-generated “bigfoot baddie,” with acrylic nails and a pink wig, speaks directly to her imaginary audience using an iPhone. “We might have to go on the run,” she says. “I’m wanted for a false report on my baby daddy.” This AI video, generated by Google’s Veo 3, has racked up over a million views on Instagram. It’s just one of many viral posts on Instagram and TikTok viewed by WIRED that depict Black women as primates and perpetuate racist tropes using AI video tools. Google’s Veo 3 was a hi

Topics: ai bigfoot instagram online videos

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Threads officially rolls out standalone DMs and debuts visual highlights

9to5mac.com Marcus Mendes 2026-02-17 11:00:55

Meta just took another step in its belated but very welcome push to detach Threads from its Instagram roots. Starting today, the app is officially rolling out its own direct messaging system and a new visual highlights feature. Here’s how they work. Both updates mark the second anniversary of the app, which was officially launched on July 5th, 2024. And alongside the announcement, Threads also shared an interesting, but completely unsurprising fact, pointing to its increasingly independent futu

Topics: app dms instagram people threads

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Two years later, Meta is making DMs on Threads official

engadget.com Unknown 2026-02-17 11:00:56

Meta announced just a couple weeks ago that it would finally start testing a dedicated inbox for direct messages on Threads. Now, it's making the feature official and rolling out DMs to everyone. As with the earlier test, the update will add a messaging tab to the Threads app where users can access the inbox and exchange DMs with mutuals. Meta says that initially people will only be able to send messages to users who already follow them or mutual followers from Instagram, though it plans to rol

Topics: dms inbox instagram threads users

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Threads launches its own DM inbox, as app moves further away from Instagram

techcrunch.com Sarah Perez 2026-02-17 16:59:00

Instagram Threads is rolling out users’ most-requested feature to date: the ability to message people directly, without having to switch to another app, like Instagram. The company said direct messages (DMs) will begin rolling out to users globally beginning on Tuesday, alongside a new visual element called highlighter. The latter will emphasize interesting perspectives and conversations, Meta says, starting with Trending Topics. At launch, Threads DMs offer a basic set of features. They’ll su

Topics: instagram meta people threads users

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Instagram now lets you share Spotify songs with sound to Stories

techcrunch.com Aisha Malik 2026-02-19 16:48:24

Instagram announced Monday that it’s finally adding the ability for users to listen to previews of songs that they’ve shared from Spotify to Stories. While Instagram has long allowed users to share Spotify songs to their Stories, it would do so without sound, and simply provide a link to the song on the streaming platform. Now, when a user posts a song to their Story, viewers will be able to listen to a preview of the song right within Instagram. The small change, yet notable change makes it e

Topics: instagram music platform songs users

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Latest Tech News

Instagram is developing a feature that helps users find shared interests

What Even Is Instagram Now?

Facebook and Instagram may be down for some users

Instagram’s Map is here, and this is how you can turn your location off

Instagram’s Map is here, and this is how you can turn it off

How to use Instagram Map and protect your privacy

Instagram's map feature spurs user backlash over geolocation privacy concerns

How to use Instagram Map and set your location-sharing preferences

Adam Mosseri says 'people are confused' about how the Instagram map works

Instagram adds a new friends map feature that sure looks a lot like the Snap Map

Instagram Adds New Features, Including Reposts and Maps

Instagram's new location sharing feature sure looks a lot like the Snap Map

Instagram adds two familiar social media features to its app

Instagram adds a reposts feed and rips off Snap Maps

Instagram takes on Snapchat with new ‘Instagram Map’

Meta Debuts More Instagram Protections for Teen Users. Here's What's New

Meta updates safety features for teens. More than 600,000 accounts linked to predatory behavior

Instagram adds new protections for accounts that primarily feature children

Adam Mosseri to hand off day-to-day at Threads to Meta’s AI lead

Adam Mosseri steps back from Threads, app to be overseen by Meta’s AI lead

Meta appoints generative AI VP to run Threads

Threads is testing Facebook account sign-ups

Two years in, Apple is now officially on Threads

Meta users say paying for Verified support has been useless in the face of mass bans

Threads gets its own DMs as app distances itself from Instagram

AI Videos of Black Women Depicted as ‘Bigfoot’ Are Going Viral

Threads officially rolls out standalone DMs and debuts visual highlights

Two years later, Meta is making DMs on Threads official

Threads launches its own DM inbox, as app moves further away from Instagram

Instagram now lets you share Spotify songs with sound to Stories

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