Latest news with #AlessandroPaluzzi
Hans India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Instagram Experiments with ‘Picks' to Connect Friends Through Shared Interests in Movies, Music, and More
Instagram is quietly working on a fresh way to get users talking — and it's all about shared tastes. The social media giant is developing a new feature called 'Picks', designed to match friends based on common favourites in categories like movies, TV shows, books, music, and games. The concept is simple: you select your personal favourites, and Instagram compares them with your friends' selections to highlight overlaps. Think of it as a mash-up between Spotify Wrapped and a friendship compatibility test, built directly into the app. The goal? To nudge people toward real conversations instead of sticking to double-taps and emoji replies. Meta, Instagram's parent company, confirmed to TechCrunch that Picks is still an internal prototype. The tool is in what one might call the 'lab experiment' stage — far from a public release. And, like many of Instagram's experimental features, there's no guarantee it will ever roll out. The first hint of its existence came from Alessandro Paluzzi, a well-known app researcher and reverse engineer famous for unearthing unreleased social media tools. Paluzzi shared screenshots showing how users could browse different categories and pick their top favorites. Those choices would then be cross-referenced with friends' lists to reveal shared interests — perhaps opening the door to debates over the best '90s indie band or swapping recommendations for niche TV dramas. The idea fits neatly with Instagram head Adam Mosseri's vision for the platform in 2025. Back in January, Mosseri wrote: 'To help people connect with friends over the things they discover on Instagram, we're going to double down on messaging, make consuming content more interactive and social, and explore new ways to connect with friends.' In essence, Instagram is aiming to shift from being just a content feed to becoming more like a bustling online hangout spot — a place where you share, chat, and even argue about sequels versus originals. However, new features on Instagram often meet mixed reactions. Over the years, the app has been criticized for piling on tools, leading some users to feel it's becoming cluttered. The recent launch of Instagram Map sparked backlash from users puzzled about why they suddenly had a new location feature they never requested. Given its current prototype status, there's no timeline for Picks, and there's every chance it could join Instagram's long list of 'features that never were.' Meta regularly experiments with concepts that never make it past the testing phase. Still, for users who enjoy personality quizzes or discovering unexpected common ground with friends, Picks has the potential to become an engaging new way to interact. Whether it turns into the next Stories-style success or fades quietly into the background will depend on how users respond — and whether Instagram can keep it fun without turning it into yet another ad-focused algorithm tool.
India Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Instagram testing Picks feature to match users by shared movies, music, books, and more
Instagram is cooking up yet another way to keep you glued to the app, this time by playing matchmaker over your taste in films, music, books, and more. The new tool, called 'Picks,' is designed to help you discover what you have in common with friends, potentially sparking more conversation beyond the usual double-taps and emoji Instagram's parent company, confirmed to TechCrunch that Picks is currently an internal prototype. It's still in the 'playing around with it in the lab' phase and nowhere near your feed, feature was first spotted by serial app sleuth and reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, who has a knack for digging up Instagram's unreleased experiments. In the screenshots he shared, users can select their personal favourites across categories like films, TV shows, books, games, and music. These 'Picks' are then cross-referenced with your friends' selections, highlighting shared tastes. Think Spotify Wrapped meets friendship compatibility test, but baked into Instagram. Instagram hasn't provided any official details on how it would work in practice, but it's not hard to imagine the motivation. In theory, Picks could encourage users to connect on a more personal level, nudging them to swap recommendations or debate the merits of each other's choices. Instead of endlessly scrolling past content, you might actually message someone because you both love the same niche TV drama or 90s indie idea aligns neatly with Instagram head Adam Mosseri's stated vision for the platform in 2025. Back in January, Mosseri posted: 'To help people connect with friends over the things they discover on Instagram, we're going to double down on messaging, make consuming content more interactive and social, and explore new ways to connect with friends.'In other words, Instagram wants to feel less like a content vending machine and more like the internet's busiest pub, full of chatter, sharing, and the occasional argument over whether a sequel was better than the course, this being Instagram, not everyone will cheer the arrival of another feature. The app has been steadily packing in more bells and whistles over the years, leading some users to complain it's becoming overcrowded and bloated. Instagram is still dealing with backlash from its recent 'Instagram Map' rollout, which left many people wondering why they'd been given a new location feature they never asked because Picks is still in early development, there's no telling when, or if, it will launch. Meta often experiments with features that never see the light of day, so this could end up as another entry in Instagram's long list of 'what could have been.'Still, for those who enjoy a good personality quiz or want to uncover unexpected common ground with their friends, Picks could prove to be a surprisingly engaging addition. Whether it becomes the next Stories-style hit or quietly disappears into the feature graveyard will depend on whether users embrace it, and whether Instagram can resist the urge to turn it into yet another algorithm-driven ad machine.- EndsTrending Reel
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Instagram's new Picks feature will help you discover common interests
Instagram, a Meta-owned social media network, is developing a new feature called 'Picks' that will help users discover their shared interests. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), known reverse engineer Alessandro Pauzzi shared screenshots of the upcoming functionality, which allows people to select their favourite books, games, movies, music, and TV shows, to name a few. Instagram then checks these and compares them with followers to see which of your friends are interested in similar things. For example, if you add a particular movie or a genre to your Picks, the feature would highlight your friends who are interested in the same thing. The screenshots also suggest that these 'Picks' will appear in the inbox Notes and will be accessible by tapping a new icon that appears at the top of the inbox section. While Instagram hasn't shared other details about the upcoming feature, in a statement to TechCrunch, the company did confirm that Picks is currently an 'internal prototype'. #Instagram is working on Picks 👀 ℹ️ Add what you're into and find overlap with friends who are all about it too — Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) August 6, 2025 Additionally, it appears that Meta-owned social media platforms are viewing Picks as a new way for users to connect with friends and followers on a more personal level, providing a means to initiate conversations about topics of interest. 'To help people connect with friends over the things they discover on Instagram, we're going to double down on messaging, make consuming content more interactive and social, and explore new ways to connect with friends', Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a post earlier this year. While Picks does sound like a great idea, Instagram already has a ton of features that help you connect with others, like Instagram Map, a new functionality that allows users to share their location with others, just like Snapchat Map. Another functionality that aims to increase interactions on the platform is the Friends tab residing within the Reels section. This enables users to see reels their friends recently interacted with and even get recommendations from Blends.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Instagram is developing a feature that helps users find shared interests
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.' Instagram then finds overlaps with friends who chose the same things. While Instagram hasn't shared any details about the feature, the company likely views Picks as a way for users to connect more personally with friends and spark conversations around shared interests. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said earlier this year that the social network was going to focus on creativity and connection in 2025. 'To help people connect with friends over the things they discover on Instagram, we're going to double down on messaging, make consuming content more interactive and social, and explore new ways to connect with friends,' Mosseri wrote in a January Instagram post. Of course, not everyone will welcome Picks, as it adds yet another feature to an already overcrowded app. Instagram is facing backlash following the launch of Instagram Map, with many users saying they never wanted the feature in the first place. As with any other feature in development, it's known when or if Instagram plans to officially roll out Picks. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
TechCrunch
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- TechCrunch
Instagram is developing a feature that helps users find shared interests
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.' Instagram then finds overlaps with friends who chose the same things. #Instagram is working on Picks 👀 ℹ️ Add what you're into and find overlap with friends who are all about it too — Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) August 6, 2025 While Instagram hasn't shared any details about the feature, the company likely views Picks as a way for users to connect more personally with friends and spark conversations around shared interests. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said earlier this year that the social network was going to focus on creativity and connection in 2025. 'To help people connect with friends over the things they discover on Instagram, we're going to double down on messaging, make consuming content more interactive and social, and explore new ways to connect with friends,' Mosseri wrote in a January Instagram post. Of course, not everyone will welcome Picks, as it adds yet another feature to an already overcrowded app. Instagram is facing backlash following the launch of Instagram Map, with many users saying they never wanted the feature in the first place. As with any other feature in development, it's known when or if Instagram plans to officially roll out Picks.
