Skip to main content

Instagram is changing your feed again, this time with ‘recommended’ posts

instagram
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Instagram is now rolling out its “recommended for you” feature that shows photos in your feed snapped by people you’re not following.

It was spotted in testing earlier this month, but now folks at the photo-sharing service have told TechCrunch they’re rolling it out for all users, albeit gradually and without any official announcement (so far).

Recommended Videos

No, Instagram won’t be throwing in random images from random users. The recommended shots, which are clearly labeled as such, will of course be selected by Instagram’s carefully designed algorithms in the hope that each image will pique your interest and prompt you to follow whoever took it.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

“These posts are suggested based on posts liked by accounts you follow,” Instagram explains on its support pages, adding that you can choose to hide the recommended posts if you feel they somehow upset the serenity of your carefully curated feed. To do so, tap on the three dots by the post and then tap “hide.” Take note though, this merely tidies up your feed by removing the post — it doesn’t stop Instagram dropping in more recommended content into your feed. Still, if masses of users keep hiding content, the company should soon get the message that its new idea isn’t going down too well with the Instagram community.

Up to now, you had to be proactive to find new content on Instagram, by either hitting the Explore button to see a grid of photos, or by tapping in keywords in the Search box at the top of the display, or by scrolling through the Following tab via the heart icon to see what photos your friends have recently liked and which users they’ve started to follow.

You can also now choose to follow particular hashtags, a neat and overdue feature that was introduced just a few weeks ago.

The recommended-for-you feature is the first big shake-up to the Instagram feed since it shifted from a chronological feed to an algorithmic one in 2016.

This latest change to Instagram feeds is set to deliver lots of fresh content to users. The company hopes the tweak will help to drive engagement with the Instagram app, which of course would then allow it to charge top dollar to advertisers aiming to sell their products to as many users as possible.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
When is the best time to post on Instagram?
Someone holding an iPhone. The screen shows a full-screen Instagram post.

Creating viral content is only half the battle when it comes to increasing engagement on your Instagram posts -- timing is important too. Figuring out the best possible time to publish your IG posts in order to maximize the exposure they get is vital to the success of your posts. After all, it doesn't matter how amazing your photos and videos are if your audience isn't even around to see them and interact with them.

There are two ways to tackle the problem of timing: You can either rely on the research of social media experts who can give you one-size-fits-most estimates of the best possible days and times to post on Instagram (not ideal in terms of accuracy, but quicker and easier) or you can get the analytics data of your Instagram account and figure out the best possible publish times for your unique account and audience (might take longer but will likely be more accurate and effective).

Read more
When is the best time to post on Facebook?
A smartphone with the Facebook app icon on it all on a white marble background.

Knowing when to publish your Facebook posts to gain maximum exposure is important if you're trying to bring more attention to your brand or business. But figuring out the best timing can be a bit tricky as there's no real clear-cut answer that works for every Facebook page. And that's because the optimal timing for different Facebook pages will vary depending on the browsing/viewing habits of their respective audiences.

In the guide below, we'll answer a few of your questions about when to post on Facebook (generally), and we'll mention some ways to figure out the best publish times for your specific Facebook page.
Is it better to post in the morning or at night?

Read more
Instagram is building a ‘nudity protection’ tool for your DMs
Instagram app on the Google Play Store on an Android smartphone.

Instagram's latest push to give users more control over what they see in the popular photo and video sharing app, may also include what users see in their DMs as well.

On Wednesday, The Verge reported that Instagram was working on a new (optional) tool that would hide unwanted nude photos sent to users via DMs. The still-in-development feature was spotted by Alessandro Paluzzi, who posted a screenshot of the tool on Twitter.

Read more