Are Facebook, Instagram taking a Labor Day break? Users report downtime globally
Facebook, the world’s number one social media platform, and subsidiary Instagram are apparently taking some holiday breaks on Labor Day. As of this writing, Facebook and Instagram were facing more than 30 minutes of downtime, with Twitter users taking to their feeds to share the news.
Instagram now lets everyone apply for a verification badge
If you're a prolific Instagrammer with lots of followers, you now have a better chance of getting yourself a verification badge as the photo-sharing service now lets you apply for it from within the app itself. Instagram is also adding detailed "About" pages, and support for third-party authenticator apps.
How to make money on Instagram (even if you don’t have a bajillion followers)
You see the posts all over you're feed: #sponsored. But how do they actually make money, and do you have to have thousands of followers before you get started? Learn the different options for cashing in and how to create a strong profile with our guide on how to make money on Instagram.
College students — Instagram is testing a new feature that’s just for you
Instagram is testing a feature that helps students connect with others studying at the same college. If a student chooses to join their group, they'll have access to their particular community, allowing them to send direct messages to community members and view Stories straight from the group list.
Instagram’s test of Recommended Posts is designed to not interrupt your feed
Instagram is testing Recommended Posts -- but it's not what you're thinking. Unlike Facebook's feature, the posts won't be inserted into the middle of the feed. Instead, the suggestions pop up once you've seen everything else from your network feed.
Instagram hackers are changing account info into Russian email addresses
Have you logged in to your Instagram lately? A hack circulating this month has Instagram users locked out of their accounts because a hacker changed all the profile data, according to a report. Instagram, however, says it hasn't seen an increase in the number of hack reports.
For Monaris, it’s a photography career launched on an iPhone and Instagram
On Instagram, she's known just as Monaris. But street photographer Paola Franqui has built a following largely with an iPhone and a smile before growing into a mirrorless camera system. We sat down with Monaris to talk photography, style, Instagram and editing -- and where the name Monaris came from.
How to hide your active status on Instagram
The Activity Status mode on Instagram shows people whenever you are online, and it's very similar to Facebook Messenger. If that annoys you, we put together a quick guide on how to hide your active status on Instagram with a quick settings change.
Growth slows during Facebook’s ‘critical year,’ still reaches 2.5 billion
Facing new privacy laws and news feed changes, Facebook's latest user count isn't as sky-high as previous patterns. Despite a slow down and a loss of users in Europe, the company now has 2.5 billion people across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The company is predicting more slowdowns, however.
The best selfie sticks
Nothing is more important than capturing the perfect selfie. Why not make it easier with a selfie stick? We rounded up some of our favorite selfie sticks with the best configurations and build quality, for group or solo shots anytime, anywhere.
IGTV is sweet — but you probably don’t need the dedicated app. Here’s why
IGTV is a platform designed for video viewing on a smartphone, which means an experience with full-screen videos and gesture-based controls. But do you really need to download the app? Only if you want access to the handful of features that are inside the stand-alone app but not inside Instagram itself.
Under 13? You may soon find your Facebook or Instagram account suspended
Instagram and its parent company Facebook are beginning to crack down on underage users. As per a new “operational” change to the social media empire’s policies, both Facebook and Instagram will be more proactive in locking the accounts of users who are suspected to be under the minimum age of 13.
Instagram now shows when you’re online (don’t worry, it has an off button)
Instagram's newest feature may present a problem for those of us who are trying to fly under the radar. On Thursday, the photo sharing network debuted its latest update -- a way for folks to see when their Instagram friends are online and, therefore, available to chat. It resembles Facebook's "available" indicator.
Don’t want your ex on your Instagram? You can now remove followers on Android
You've always been able to unfollow those pesky over-posters or ex-significant others on Instagram, but never before have you had the option to exercise such control over you own photo stream. That's right, friends -- Instagram has begun testing the option to remove followers with just a few taps.
Instagram’s question stickers bring comment-like interaction to Stories
Instagram Stories lack some of the interaction options from the traditional feed -- but that's not stopping Instagram from coming up with new ways to promote interaction instead of passively watching Stories. The new question sticker allows you to ask a question and get open-ended responses.
Have a question? Ask it on Instagram with open-ended questions in a Story
Polling public opinion is getting easier than ever on Instagram. The photo-sharing app is constantly introducing new features, and its latest is the ability to ask questions in Instagram Stories. Users already have the option of adding yes/no polls and multiple choice questions to their ephemeral content.
Instagram will now tell you when ‘you’re all caught up’ with your feed
Some will find it reassuring, others absolutely essential. We're talking about a new feature being tested by Instagram that lets you know when you've scrolled through all of the content posted in your feed in the previous 48 hours. So you don't have to worry about missing anything.
Instagram ‘music stickers’ could help to spice up your Stories
Instagram's Stories tool can now share the theme song to your day along with photos and video. The feature, called "music stickers," enables people to search via genres, moods, and trending tracks, which they can add to their Story in a tap. The update also brings a new video recording mode.
The Instagram Lite app is so small, your Android phone won’t notice it’s there
Instagram has launched a Lite version of its app inside the Google Play Store. The mini-sized app takes all the main features we love about Insta, and then squeezes them down into a tiny app, so it's suitable for all different Android phones. By not becoming a burden on storage, it's easier to live with.
Instagram now lets you video chat with up to three buddies
Your favorite photo-sharing app, which is now much more than that, has just launched video chat with the option to chinwag with up to three friends. Instagram has also given some attention to the Explore tab, retaining its style but adding new topic channels along the top to help you surface content of interest.
Popular Instagrammer caught using photos from image libraries
Popular Instagrammer Daryl Aiden Yow impressed many of his followers with fancy shots from a range of dazzling locations. His work even caught the attention of brands such as Sony and Uniqlo, which worked with him on marketing projects. But it's now been revealed that some of his images were taken from stock sites.
IGTV video app rolls out right as Instagram tops a billion monthly users
Now you can start losing your digital car keys as well, Instagram (and by extension, Facebook) takes aim at YouTube with the new IGTV app, and Apple wrestles with their complicated wireless charging technology.
Instagram’s IGTV is a new Stories-like home for vertical long-form videos
After Facebook Watch, Instagram is launching its own video portal -- but it looks nothing like the usual online video viewer. Instead, Instagram IGTV is mobile-first, which means vertical video and a Stories-like interface. The launch comes as Instagram hits the one billion user milestone.
You might soon be watching a lot more video on Instagram
Instagram lets you post videos of up to 60 seconds, but the social media company is reported to be considering extending the limit to a whopping 60 minutes. Longer videos from users, as well as brands and professional creators, would take the app ever further from its roots, and even allow it to target YouTube.
Creep in peace — Instagram will no longer tell people when you take screenshots
If you've been holding back on your social media stalking tendencies, then hold back no more. As originally reported by BuzzFeed, Instagram will no longer alert users when you take a screenshot of their Stories. If you want to immortalize an ephemeral moment, Instagram won't tattle on you.
Here everything we know about ‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’ so far
The sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible series hits theaters July 27, so here's everything we know about Mission: Impossible -- Fallout so far. Most recently, in June, Tom Cruise shared a behind-the-scenes video of the HALO jump stunt, which involved him falling from a height of 25,000 feet.
You can soon mute annoying friends clogging your Instagram feed
Hovering over that unfollow button, but don't want to quite abandon that Instagram relationship yet? Instagram is rolling out a mute button that allows you to keep another user's posts out of the feed and even mute their Stories too. The social network says the move is another effort to help improve the browsing experience.
Instagram finally (sort of) gets that share button in the form of stickers
Gotta share that gem you spotted in your Instagram feed? Now you can, but in Stories. The Instagram share sticker allows users to share feed posts to other users' Stories as a sticker. The shared posts can be customized. And for the users that don't want their photos shared, there's an opt-out option.
Addicted to Instagram? The app may soon tell you about it
Lose track of time when you're on Instagram? Well, you may soon have a way to learn more about precisely how long you spend on the app. Code discovered inside the Instagram app reveals an as-yet unreleased "usage insights" feature that will show Instagrammers the amount of "time spent" on the app.
8×10 app lets you sell your Instagrams as framed fine art in a few finger taps
Want your Instagrams to live in more than just pixels, but don't want to tackle the task of actually printing them? 8x10 is a new app that allows Instagrammers to sell their work as fine art prints without dealing with the sales, printing, and shipping. With the app, artists create signed, limited edition print runs.
Like that food photo? Book a table — or tickets — without leaving Instagram
Instagrammers can now book tickets or reserve a table without leaving the social network. A new tool allows businesses to add third-party booking tools to the profile page, creating a shortcut when users spot a photo they want to see in real life. The booking tool comes alongside new Direct Messages for businesses.
Instagram begins trials on in-app payments to help you insta-pay
Instagram is moving tentatively toward offering its community a more integrated shopping experience with the limited launch of a new in-app payments platform. The new feature lets you enter your payments details directly into the app, paving the way for a more seamless, and faster, shopping experience.
Facebook utilizes Instagram photos and hashtags to create a smarter A.I.
Why manually label images when you already have a source for millions of images labeled via hashtags? Facebook recently designed an A.I. program using Instagram images and hashtags to teach object recognition. But first, the researchers had to learn to sort through all the hashtags.
All the new features coming to the Facebook app and Messenger
At Facebook's F8 developer conference, the company introduced a variety of new features and updates users will see over the next few months. From a new dating app to more privacy controls, here's what you can expect to see on both the Facebook and Messenger apps in the near future.