Latest news with #InstagramUsers
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
‘They messed up big time': Some Instagram users unhappy with new reposting feature
On Wednesday, Instagram users woke up to a new button on their profiles. The app's latest update lets people repost others' posts or Reels directly to their own feeds, but some users are unimpressed. Here's what we know about the new feature. What is it? Similar to retweets on X (formerly Twitter) or reposts on TikTok, the new Instagram feature is designed to make sharing content easier. It's been in testing since 2022, and is now rolling out to users globally. According to a Meta news release that was shared on Wednesday, the feature is meant to make it easier 'to share your interests with your friends.' Users can now repost public posts and Reels, which will appear in a new 'Reposts' tab on their profile and may also show up in their followers' feeds. How does it work? The posts are credited to the original creator. For content creators, that means their post could be shown to someone else's followers if they share it, even if those people don't follow them. It's a new way to expand their reach beyond their own audience and potentially boost engagement with minimal extra effort. This update is part of a broader set of changes from Meta. Instagram also launched a 'Friends Map', that allows you to see where your friends are and what they are doing there (location sharing is optional), and a new 'Friends' tab in Reels, where you can see public content your friends have interacted with. What do users think about the feature? Although targeted at making sharing easier, many users are not thrilled with the feature. 'They're tryna make it like Tiktok but that's the exact reason why so many users use instagram because they prefer it more,' one reddit user wrote. 'They messed up big time.' Others are frustrated by the design changes. The repost button now sits where the comment button used to be, leading to some accidentally sharing posts they meant to reply to. 'They put it EXACTLY where the comment button was. This is such an evil decision,' another Redditor wrote. With another saying, 'It's so annoying, I do not want to end up filing my profile with 10 reposted reels at the end of the day because I accidentally clicked the button. At least ask for confirmation, or have it as a sub-option within the share button.' Some have gone as far as asking if they can get rid of it all together. Time will tell if the repost button earns its place, or just more complaints. Minors on Instagram are routinely recommended sexual content: report Canadian adolescents among first to experience Instagram's new teen accounts with private settings Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here.
National Post
3 days ago
- National Post
‘They messed up big time': Some Instagram users unhappy with new reposting feature
On Wednesday, Instagram users woke up to a new button on their profiles. The app's latest update lets people repost others' posts or Reels directly to their own feeds, but some users are unimpressed. Article content Here's what we know about the new feature. Article content Article content What is it? Article content Similar to retweets on X (formerly Twitter) or reposts on TikTok, the new Instagram feature is designed to make sharing content easier. It's been in testing since 2022, and is now rolling out to users globally. Article content Article content According to a Meta news release that was shared on Wednesday, the feature is meant to make it easier 'to share your interests with your friends.' Article content Article content Users can now repost public posts and Reels, which will appear in a new 'Reposts' tab on their profile and may also show up in their followers' feeds. Article content The posts are credited to the original creator. For content creators, that means their post could be shown to someone else's followers if they share it, even if those people don't follow them. It's a new way to expand their reach beyond their own audience and potentially boost engagement with minimal extra effort. Article content This update is part of a broader set of changes from Meta. Instagram also launched a 'Friends Map', that allows you to see where your friends are and what they are doing there (location sharing is optional), and a new 'Friends' tab in Reels, where you can see public content your friends have interacted with. Article content What do users think about the feature? Article content Although targeted at making sharing easier, many users are not thrilled with the feature. Article content Article content 'They're tryna make it like Tiktok but that's the exact reason why so many users use instagram because they prefer it more,' one reddit user wrote. 'They messed up big time.' Article content Article content Others are frustrated by the design changes. The repost button now sits where the comment button used to be, leading to some accidentally sharing posts they meant to reply to. Article content 'They put it EXACTLY where the comment button was. This is such an evil decision,' another Redditor wrote. Article content With another saying, 'It's so annoying, I do not want to end up filing my profile with 10 reposted reels at the end of the day because I accidentally clicked the button. At least ask for confirmation, or have it as a sub-option within the share button.' Article content Some have gone as far as asking if they can get rid of it all together. Time will tell if the repost button earns its place, or just more complaints. Article content
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Instagram Reiterates That Location Sharing is an Optional Feature
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. Well, that escalated quickly. After announcing its new Friend Map feature yesterday, Instagram has been flooded with misguided complaints and concerns about how the new feature will expose people's locations without them knowing, potentially putting millions of people at risk. To recap, Instagram's new Friend Map will show you where your friends are at any given time, while also highlighting places friends have been, via location-tagged Stories that they've posted. Which is pretty much the same as the Snap Map, but Snapchat doesn't have as many users, and as such, it didn't see the same level of backlash that Instagram's now seeing, with many users complaining that location sharing like this is unsafe, and could even get someone killed. What's important to note, however, is that the feature is opt-in, so it is not switched on for anyone without their knowledge. As explained by Instagram in its announcement post: 'You can opt into sharing your last active location with friends you pick, and you can turn it off anytime. You can also open the map to see content your friends and favorite creators are posting from cool spots. No matter how you use the map, you and your friends have a new, lightweight way to connect with each other.' Note the first line, 'you can opt in' to sharing your location, but you don't have to, and your location won't be shown unless you manually switch it on. But the wording may have been unclear, because Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has been forced to reiterate this point: 'Your location will only be shared *if* you decide to share it, and if you do, it can only shared with a limited group of people you choose. To start, location sharing is *completely off.* If you do decide to share your location, the three options are a custom list you make, your Close Friends list, or followers you follow back.' So it's not randomly exposing everybody to the world, and showing where you are, and what you're doing at all time. Mosseri has also clarified the process for Stories location-sharing: 'If you tag a location in your story, that story will show up on the map for 24 hours. As always with Stories, this only shows the place you tagged to your followers - it does not share your real-time or live location.' Some users claim that location services was turned on by default, and is now showing their location in the app. But it is a manual setting, and the only way that this would be switched on may be if users have enabled such in the past, for Instagram's other location-tagging features. So it may be possible that you're showing on the IG map without you manually activating it for this exact purpose. But you can also switch location sharing off, both in the app and in your device settings. Instagram has also built in some additional privacy features, like an option to hide selected locations from the map, even if you are sharing your info: So to clarify, you're not sharing your location to everyone on Instagram, and you have full control and capacity to switch it off. Friend Map sharing is not switched on by default, and the only way to activate location sharing is via manual control. So if you don't like it, don't use it, and no one will know where you are in the app.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Instagram adds new features, including map and reposts. What to know and how to manage location sharing.
Meta says the launched updates will help users "better connect" with their friends on the app. If you've noticed some new icons and options while doom scrolling on Instagram, you're not imagining things. The popular social media app owned by Meta rolled out some new updates on Aug. 6, including a location map and the ability to repost public content, the company announced this week. 'People have always come to Instagram to share what they're up to and where they are,' Meta wrote in a press release. 'Now, with reposts, the map, and the 'Friends' tab in Reels, it's easier for you and your friends to stay in touch through the content you're enjoying on Instagram.' Here's a breakdown of the three latest updates, and how users are responding. 🔁 Repost public posts and video reels Meta announced that Instagram users now have the ability to repost public feed posts and video reels, which is similar to reposting on the social media platform X. The reposts will show up on friends' and followers' feeds, with a credit to the original creator. A separate reposting tab has also been added to IG users' profiles so that the content can be shared with someone else's followers. "This gives creators an opportunity to reach even more people," Meta said. 📍 Instagram map Instagram users can now share their location with specific friends of their choosing with Instagram Map, located at the top of a user's direct messaging inbox. The location sharing option is off unless the user opts in, and they can turn it off anytime. If users want to double-check their Instagram location sharing settings to turn them on or off, here's what to do: Tap the direct message icon in the top right (it may look like a paper airplane or a message bubble with a lightning bolt inside). Select 'Map' in the notes section at the very top with a globe image. Tap the Settings icon in the top right corner, which will prompt a 'Turn on Location Services' button. Select 'Open Settings,' which will redirect to your phone's settings app. Tap 'Location' and choose from 'Never,' 'Ask Next Time or When I Share,' 'While Using the App' or 'Always.' If they opt in, Meta outlined the controls users have to customize their experience: Users specifically choose who they share their location with: all followers you follow back (friends), close friends, only selected friends or no one. They can choose not to share their location within a specific area or with certain people. The location is updated when the app is opened or when the user returns to the app if it has been running in the background. Parents and guardians have control over their teens' location-sharing capabilities if they have supervision set up. The parent will get a notification if the teen starts sharing their location. Any content with a tagged location can show up on the Instagram map, including reels, posts and stories from people that users follow, and it's available 24 hours after it's been posted, according to Meta. 'Regardless of whether you choose to share your location, you can use the map to explore location-based content. From checking out stories from friends who've gone to a concert or finding a new place to hang out from a local creator's reel, there's content to help you and your friends connect with the world around you,' Meta says. This feature is currently only available in the U.S., but global availability is coming soon. 👫 'Friends' tab in Reels launches globally Instagram Reels users will also notice a new tab called 'Friends,' located right at the top of Reels. Users can see public Reels content that their friends have interacted with. They can also mute activity from specific people they follow or hide their own likes and comments on reels. The feature started rolling out earlier this year, but it has now launched globally, Meta announced Wednesday. 📣 How users are responding to the features Instagram users have had some strong reactions to the updates, particularly over the Map feature. People are voicing safety concerns in the comments section under the latest post on the official Instagram account, which is not related to the app's updates. 'Please get rid of the map feature. It's such a bad idea, it's a safety concern,' another user wrote. 'This is the second time you all have added this map feature. Please remove it. Why are you all obsessed with people's locations?' one user commented while referring to Instagram's Photo Map feature, which displayed photos on a map based on their geotags, and was discontinued in 2016. Meanwhile, others called for the removal of the Friends tab under Reels. 'INSTAGRAM PLS GET RID OF THE FRIENDS BIT NEXT TO THE REELS PLSSSS,' another user commented. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Instagram adds new features, including map and reposts. What to know and how to manage location sharing.
Meta says the launched updates will help users "better connect" with their friends on the app. If you've noticed some new icons and options while doom scrolling on Instagram, you're not imagining things. The popular social media app owned by Meta rolled out some new updates on Aug. 6, including a location map and the ability to repost public content, the company announced this week. 'People have always come to Instagram to share what they're up to and where they are,' Meta wrote in a press release. 'Now, with reposts, the map, and the 'Friends' tab in Reels, it's easier for you and your friends to stay in touch through the content you're enjoying on Instagram.' Here's a breakdown of the three latest updates: 🔁 Repost public posts and video reels Meta announced that Instagram users now have the ability to repost public feed posts and video reels, which is similar to reposting on the social media platform X. The reposts will show up on friends' and followers' feeds, with a credit to the original creator. A separate reposting tab has also been added to IG users' profiles so that the content can be shared with someone else's followers. "This gives creators an opportunity to reach even more people," Meta said. 📍 Instagram map Instagram users can now share their location with specific friends of their choosing with Instagram Map, located at the top of a user's direct messaging inbox. The location sharing option is off unless the user opts in, and they can turn it off anytime. If they opt in, Meta outlined the controls users have to customize their experience: Users specifically choose who they share their location with: all followers you follow back (friends), close friends, only selected friends or no one. They can choose not to share their location within a specific area or with certain people. The location is updated when the app is opened or when the user returns to the app if it has been running in the background. Parents and guardians have control over their teens' location-sharing capabilities if they have supervision set up. The parent will get a notification if the teen starts sharing their location. Any content with a tagged location can show up on the Instagram map, including reels, posts and stories from people that users follow, and it's available 24 hours after it's been posted, according to Meta. 'Regardless of whether you choose to share your location, you can use the map to explore location-based content. From checking out stories from friends who've gone to a concert or finding a new place to hang out from a local creator's reel, there's content to help you and your friends connect with the world around you,' Meta says. This feature is currently only available in the U.S., but global availability is coming soon. 👫 'Friends' tab in Reels launches globally Instagram Reels users will also notice a new tab called 'Friends,' located right at the top of Reels. Users can see public Reels content that their friends have interacted with. They can also mute activity from specific people they follow or hide their own likes and comments on reels. The feature started rolling out earlier this year, but it has now launched globally, Meta announced Wednesday. Solve the daily Crossword
