The head of Instagram said on Twitter (via Android Central) that the test is now underway. He added that users would have up to three feed options to choose from – Home, Favorites, and Following. The Home feed keeps your feed as it is right now. Meanwhile, Favorites would only offer content from starred accounts, while the Following feed will display posts from the accounts you follow in chronological order.
Instagram said it would roll out the “full experience” to users by the first half of the year
Since this is still under testing, it’s likely some distance away from being widely available. But it’s clear that the feature is on its way, thus ending the users’ long wait. Mosseri mentioned that the “full experience” of this updated news feed would finish rolling out by the first half of 2022. Instagram was in the news late last year for all the wrong reasons. Leaked internal memos showed how the platform’s algorithms were harmful to teens, yet Instagram (or Meta) chose to do nothing. In the aftermath of these revelations, the platform had to announce a bunch of new features, including “Take a Break.” The platform first teased Take a Break a couple of months ago while finally rolling it out last month. This feature works exactly as it sounds, with Instagram reminding users to step aside from the app in predefined intervals. Users can choose between 10, 20, or 30-minute intervals before the reminder pops up. However, Take a Break is only one of the solutions pitched by the Meta-owned app. While Instagram Kids appears to be shut down, the platform is bringing extensive parental controls to the app in March. In addition to allowing parents or guardians to set time limits, the feature would notify them whenever their child has reported another individual on the platform. Furthermore, Instagram is adding new reading material for parents and guardians with tips and tutorials on their kids’ social media usage. Instagram’s work is far from done, though. The app, along with other Meta services, is expected to be under greater scrutiny following the revelations from last year.
