Instagram Promises to Quit Putting Old Posts Atop Your Feed
Ever since it switched from a chronological to algorithmic feed in 2016, Instagram hasn't always felt very "instant." Like when you open the app and see a bunch of posts from days ago atop your feed, with fresh content buried below. Fortunately, Instagram is now going back to its roots a bit.
Don't get too excited: Instagram isn't switching back to a chronological feed -- but the Facebook-owned company on Thursday announced that, based on user feedback, it will roll out some changes to "ensure that newer posts are more likely to appear first in feed."
"With these changes, your feed will feel more fresh, and you won't miss the moments you care about," Instagram wrote. "So if your best friend shares a selfie from her vacation in Australia, it will be waiting for you when you wake up."
Meanwhile, Instagram is also testing a "New Posts" button that will let you manually refresh your feed when you're ready.
"We've heard it can feel unexpected when your feed refreshes and automatically bumps you to the top," Instagram explained. The New Posts button "lets you choose when you want to refresh, rather than it happening automatically." Until you tap that button, you'll stay right where you are in your feed.
Instagram also this week announced that you can now add working links to hashtags and other accounts in your bio. To try it out, hit the Edit Profile button, go to the Bio section, and start typing what want to link, starting with the # symbol for a hashtag or @ for a profile.
