Instagram is a world-renowned social media platform that allows users to share their pictures with their followers. Once an app on which you can share pictures solely, the platform now allows its users to share stories that stay visible for 24 hours, pin notes in the DM section, and even shop through marketplaces. However, these changes are only the tip of the iceberg, as Instagram implements a highly dynamic approach towards the platform, with ever-incoming updates, tweaks, and developments. So, what is Instagram’s new update, and how it is likely to impact the way users interact with the app?

The Most Current Updates and Tweaks of Instagram

Instagram’s approach to managing and maintaining the platform is to maximize the user-friendliness of the interface, by adding features the users have been expecting and demanding from the development team.

Live Stream to Your Close Friends

One of the newest and biggest updates of Instagram is the ability to live-stream to your close friends. The live stream feature has been around for years, but it was only possible to live stream to the entirety of your followers, without the ability to select the audience for your stream. 

This feature is especially critical for brands who want to “test-drive” their new products and features with their most premium customers before making the service or product fully public. It is also potentially helpful for users who want to share their moments with a more private audience through live streams, as this feature now removes the necessity to film videos and post them for your close friends.

Another cherished update from Instagram is the possibility to add music to the video carousel posts. Music has been a key element for the ever-continuing success of Instagram, as the platform has been including music in almost every corner of the app. 

Users can add music directly from the online shared music library of Instagram to their posts and stories. Moreover, Instagram has been collaborating with numerous music platforms to allow the sharing of songs and lyrics. Now, with the latest update, users can add music to the video carousel posts, which will increase their musical interaction with their Instagram followers.

Adding Notes to the Reels

Instagram has made a blunt step and now allows its users to add notes on the reels they have watched. This is separate from the comments section; as the comments section is an interface to interact with all the users who have seen the video, whereas this feature enables users to write a maximum of 60 words which will be seen only by their followers who have seen the reel as well. Reels have become one of the most widely used features of Instagram and millions of new content are being published every day, so, it is understandable that the developers wished to give users the liberty of interacting with their friends through a reel they have all seen. 

An increased activity through reels might be the pinnacle of Instagram’s success over the next years, as the idea conforms perfectly to the modern way of consuming content and is already considerably famous among the Instagram community. To see the psychological effects of social media on your Instagram audience, check this.

What are Some Minor Changes to the User Interface?

The above-mentioned updates are focused more on adding more features to an already highly functional app. But the tweaks and updates are not limited to the addition of new features, as Instagram’s user interface is highly dynamic as well.

Different Look for Instagram

One of the newest updates to the interface is how the app looks in general. The app changed its look through minor tweaks to the cosmetics of buttons and stickers. Also, the story section is now more user-friendly, as the most commonly used story features are listed at the top, whereas less frequently used features such as donations and food orders are listed at the bottom.

New DM themes

Another tweak to the interface is the addition of new DM themes. DM themes have been around for several years and are one of the most well-liked features of the app. The developers now added themes based not only on colors and vibes but also on recent movies and video games. This feature is readily available once you tap on the chat name and “Themes” respectively.

What Else?

Having mentioned the most recent changes to the platform, what makes Instagram so unique in the frequency and quality of its updates? 

While platforms such as Twitter and Facebook aimed for people to meet through sharing ideas, a platform like Instagram to publish photos and memories was not readily available. Instagram overtook this responsibility successfully and grew exponentially. But to be able to keep up with these competitors, Instagram constantly came up with new ideas and changes, resulting in a highly dynamic and flexible approach to the platform.

As a result, the development team of Instagram has come to be known for its tendency to value the demands of the long-term users of the platform, as the majority of the updates and changes to the platform are welcomed by the community.

In conclusion, with Instagram’s new updates such as live streaming to close friends, adding music to video carousel posts, and adding notes to the reels, Instagram has maintained its dynamic and adaptive profile. Moreover, with a new and sleek design language and new DM themes, the app is as user-friendly as ever and will continue to function as one of the most popular and well-liked platforms across the globe.