The post today is not to manipulate you to follow it which
is an account run by their PR team.
But a tweet that this verified handle tweeted just a few
weeks ago has been a trigger of excitement for many.
And also eyed upon by a number of social agencies and tech
freaks.
Me…
Included!
The company tweeted the whole information in parts among
which the first stated-
“There’s been a recent study that suggests we boost content specifically because it contains semi-nudity. This is not true. We surface posts based on interests, timeliness of posts, and other factors to help people discover content most relevant to them.”
It’s not quite long when I wrote about Instagram’s ‘Gradient
Direct Thread Themes’ that was being tested on the official Instagram app.
First and foremost, for those who are new on the blog, you
must be wondering…
What was “Gradient Direct Thread Theme” on Instagram?
And what did it exactly do?
So basically…it was a feature in the testing pool that
changed the color of the incoming messages as the user proceeded in their
direct chats.
The starting messages could be in green.
While as one proceeds further, they might change to blue.
Then to Red.
And so on…
On the other hand, the messages that YOU sent were as usual
in regular grey.
Although the feature didn’t roll out globally, Instagram definitely carried its inspiration which could be seen in its currently tested feature that resonates with it to a great extent in terms of functionality.
People tend to seek faster results for everything that they
do in their daily life.
Be it the speed of the Internet, or even before buying a
motorbike.
Users always have speed as a main attribute followed by
other factors in consideration before jumping into any conclusion.
Every commercial is based on the theme of how fast its products can be.
Even Google prefers and ranks the websites which have faster loading time!
So you see…
SPEED MATTERS!
Especially in this tech world where people don’t love to
wait even for a few seconds, there has been a gradual shift of perspective
while developing anything for the projected market.
And not so surprisingly…
Even apps are bounded in this perspective loop.
It is for this reason, there came ‘Lite Versions’ of all apps along with the main app which consumed farther less space as well as some built-in features that eased the complexity of existing features.
That said…
Instagram is currently testing a new camera design that would ease the navigation of various story features that maybe a cause of an issue for some.
Instagram has exponentially geared itself to roll out new features and functionalities to cater its users a platform the best it can be.
There have been number of updates day in and out in almost every aspect of the application, be it IGTV, Instagram stories, the music feature, or the update in the account disable policy.
With so many functionalities rolled out and some in the testing phase, Instagram made it crystal clear that it puts user’s concerns on the pedestal rather than any of its personal motives.
That said…
There are number of features that the company rolled out in its latest version of the app which didn’t get much attention from the users as not many still know about them.
Moreover, hardly were there any news from any tech blog that could have possibly made these features viral on Instagram.
But since you are a reader of Insta Secret Tips, you always
know the insider tricks and tips before any else does.
So without further ado, let’s begin-
Number one is the latest rolled out feature that Instagram
released globally just two days back.
It’s the additional pride stickers that users can find and use from the stickers’ plate of their story section.
Initially, there was only one sticker that users could use; however, Instagram has added the three extra stickers that users can now use to raise awareness and show their support for the LGBTQ community.
To use the stickers, click a photo from the Instagram camera or select one from the gallery, and then choose any of the stickers from the available tray.
Although the networks grew as a separate platform, Facebook acquired them in 2012 (Instagram) and 2014 (WhatsApp) respectively. The company additionally gave a new rebranding in December last year as ‘From Facebook’ tied along with the nework’s name.
The unification of all apps was advanced with the approach to increase app usage and improve the user experience on the platform.
For those who don’t know, there is already an option on Instagram to share your stories on Facebook directly via Instagram.
Just go to your Story Settings and Turn It On, and the stories thereafter would automatically get shared on Facebook too.
But wait…
YOU need to link your FACEBOOK ACCOUNT for this.
Another feature that rolled out recently was the ‘Video Chat’ via Messenger Rooms which made it possible for users to video chat with up to 50 people at once.
While I was scrolling through my feeds yesterday, I saw many
of the Instagram users changed their usernames for the current movement
#blacklivesmatter that is on its peak in the United States of America.
Not one…
Or two…
Or three…
I spotted the change of names (not username) in almost 50 percent of the Instagram users who I followed.
Changing names is super easy so I am not going to show you how to do that.
However….
There are a few things that YOU should know before changing your name on the platform.
And this is why I am writing this piece of article to let
you know on the recent update that Instagram rolled out globally.
According to the latest update by the company, Instagram users could only change their names twice within 14 days.
So if YOU try to update your name and have intentions to revert to it later within 14 days, make sure you do it just once because of the limitations that the latest update came up with.
We usually notice people changing their names on the
platform when they are supporting a cause or movement.
With coronavirus hitting almost every part of the world, people were confined to stay at their homes and maintain a safe distance with others.
As a result, the usage of online apps and neworks increased to a great extent.
On one hand, some signed up for an online course or adopted an activity, the others mostly killed time by connecting virtually i.e online chats and calls.
Instagram’s parent company Facebook reported in one of its
recent articles-
“In many of the countries hit hardest by the virus, total messaging has increased more than 50% over the last month. Similarly, in places hit hardest by the virus, voice and video calling have more than doubled on Messenger and WhatsApp. We have also seen messaging increase over 50% and time in group calling (calls with three or more participants) increase by over 1,000% during the last month.”
It is for this reason, Instagram finally rolled out the long-awaited “DM ME” sticker to facilitate messaging right from the stories section.
The rollout would prompt users to direct message just by tapping on the ‘DM ME’ sticker.
Instagram has recently announced the integration of Facebook Messenger Rooms feature on its platform which would let Instagram users video call up to 50 people at once.
The company announced this from its official Twitter handle stating-
“An easy way to video chat with up to 50 of your favorite people? Yes please. Starting today, you can create @messenger Rooms on Instagram and invite anyone to join.”
As clear from the Tweet, the feature is based on integration with Facebook’s Messenger rooms following which users on Instagram could launch the video call (with up to 50 people) within the main app.
An easy way to video chat with up to 50 of your favorite people? Yes please ?♀️
Instagram keeps on bringing updates so as to ease the
functionality of the main app and make it even better.
It’s for the fact that users stick to apps only if it’s able to keep up with the trend and user expectations.
And if someone has been using social media for a while now it’s nothing new for them to spot a feature that started first in one app and became a crucial part of the other.
From the popular Instagram story feature that was rolled out in competition app Snapchat to implementation of IGTV that bearded quite a resemblance with that of YouTube.
Apps keep upgrading and adding the popular features of other competition apps.
And…
So does Instagram!
It is for this reason the company is currently carrying tons of testing process of various different features some of which we would cover in this article today.
Jane Manchung Wong, a reverse engineer from Hong-Kong who finds unreleased features and security vulnerabilities in popular apps spotted many Instagram features that the company is currently testing out.
As per reverse engineer Jane Wong, Instagram is working on the “Videos over 60s” filter for video picker.
Instagram is working on “Videos Over 60s” filter for video picker, useful for IGTV pic.twitter.com/S7UaySXX2X
