“The idea here is to make sure that people can express more support for each other, but also to clean up DMs a little bit,” Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said in a tweet (via Engadget). In its previous form, reacting to a story with a heart or any other emoji would directly appear in the creator’s DMs. This can be understandably annoying, and it’s good to know that Instagram is finally doing something about it. Users will see who liked their Story within the viewer sheet right next to their names. The viewer sheet is accessible by tapping on your own Story.
Instagram could soon increase the maximum duration of Reels from 60 seconds to 90 seconds
We recently learned that Instagram could soon allow even longer Reels on the platform. While Reels was capped at 15 seconds when it first launched, it was soon expanded to 30 seconds and eventually 60 seconds. It could soon go as long as 90 seconds, as per a tipster. This is Instagram’s way of keeping up with TikTok, which currently offers up to 3 minutes of continuous recording. The impact of TikTok has been felt by juggernauts like YouTube, which also launched its own version of short-form videos known as YouTube Shorts. Rather than offering it on a separate app, Shorts is accessible directly from the YouTube app, allowing existing users to interact with the new addition. It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Instagram so far as it faces challenges on multiple fronts. There’s mounting competition from fellow social media apps like TikTok. Meanwhile, the platform is also under regulatory scrutiny over its impact on teen mental health. With this in mind, a version of Instagram meant for kids is no longer in development. The company said it will do more through its existing infrastructure. Additionally, Instagram is also bringing revamped parental controls to the app by March this year.
