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Tag: instagram

  • Instagram’s next new feature has just been leaked

    Instagram’s next new feature has just been leaked

    Instagram is testing new features all the time, but we don’t hear about many of them until Facebook makes them available to everyone. This is one of those exceptions where we learn about a new feature that Instagram plans to add to its apps after thoroughly testing it.

    The next important addition to Instagram should be Reactions for Direct Messages. The information comes via Jane Wong, the reverse engineer who’s an ace when it comes to discovering unreleased features.

    But that’s not the only source of the information. Facebook’s Tech Communications Manager, Alex Voica, confirmed that the unreleased feature is being tested for a few days. At the moment, non-employees can only see the “love” reaction, but there are six more that should be available at launch.

    It’s impossible to give you an ETA for the new feature, but at least we know what Instagram is currently working on. Still, considering testing has only just begun, it will probably take a few weeks until they go public if nothing wrong happens.

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  • Instagram’s latest update brings some long-awaited new features

    Instagram’s latest update brings some long-awaited new features

    The launch of TikTok is forcing Instagram and other similar social network services to introduce new features meant to keep them relevant in the industry. Some of these features have been long-asked-for, so we probably have to thank the competition that they are finally coming.

    TechCrunch reports Instagram is adding a handful of new effects to Boomerang, its dedicated video loop creator. The new changes will allow users to edit videos and add effects like SlowMo, Echo blurring, and Duo rapid rewind, as well as adjust the length of the videos.

    The update, which is probably the most important for Boomerang, is available to all Instagram users starting this weekend. If you’ve already updated to the latest version of the app, you’ll find the new special effects by swiping left at the bottom of the screen’s shutter selector after you open the Stories composer.

    Four new effects can be used for Boomerang videos: SlowMo, Echo, Duo, and Trimming. As the name suggests, SlowMo allows users to reduce the speed of the videos to half so they play for two seconds in each direction instead of one second.

    Then, the Echo effect adds a motion blur effect, while Duo rapidly rewinds the video to the beginning with a digitized look. Last but not least, Trimming lets users adjust the length of their Boomerangs with similar controls to iPhone’s camera roll or the Instagram feed video composer.

    Of course, none of the new effects are innovative, but they can turn many Boomerangs into something really funny if used creatively. Hopefully, the new effects will be expanded to Instagram and won’t remain exclusive to Boomerangs for too long, although Facebook may want to add a few more before bringing them to a larger audience.

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  • Instagram will now shame you before you post something offensive

    Instagram will now shame you before you post something offensive

    Instagram prides itself on actively fighting against bullying through numerous features that prevent people from trolling and/or shaming users of the social network. Instagram announced yet another feature that’s meant to prevent users from posting messages that could be considered offensive.

    Several months ago, Instagram launched a tool that notifies people when their comments may be considered offensive before they’re posted. The most recent feature expands on that tool by using the social network’s AI to detect a potentially offensive caption.

    Those who write such messages will receive a prompt informing them that their caption is similar to those reported for bullying and that they might want to reconsider their message. Instagram will let users edit messages before they are posted if they’re flagged as potentially offensive.

    The new feature is meant to educate Instagram users and prevent them from breaking the social network rules and potentially lose their accounts. According to Instagram, the new caption-warning feature will be rolled out in select countries, then expand across the world in the coming months.

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  • Instagram users now allowed to decide who can follow them

    Instagram users now allowed to decide who can follow them

    If you think that Facebook-owned apps already get too much of your personal data, you’re not going to be happy when we tell you that starting today, Instagram wants to know your birthday. However, this data is only required when creating a new account. Instagram says that its Terms of Use call for account holders to be at least 13 years of age in most countries. By requesting a new account holder’s birthday, Instagram can make sure that no one underage has an account. Instagram also says that it will “help us keep young people safer and enable more age-appropriate experiences overall.” Of course, birthdays can be faked and this doesn’t prevent an older person from creating an account for someone under 13 years of age.

    If you open a new Instagram account and provide your birthday, other members will not be able to view your date of birth. You will be able to find it when viewing your own personal profile information. If your Facebook account is connected to your Instagram account, the birthday listed on your Facebook profile will be added to your personal profile on Instagram and again, only you will be able to see it. And if for some reason you need to edit your date of birth on Facebook, your birthday on Instagram will also reflect the edit.

    Instagram does state that it plans on using the birthday information in the coming months to provide “more tailored experiences” including recommending to younger members certain privacy controls they should use and teaching them about account controls. “These newest updates are part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring Instagram remains a safe and supportive place, especially for the youngest people in our community,” Instagram said today in a blog post.

    And Instagram is also cracking down by allowing you to decide who can send you a Direct Message. Under Message Controls, you’ll be able to choose from options like Everybody, which will allow you to receive new message requests from everyone except those who you have blocked, and Only People You Follow. With the latter setting selected, you won’t receive new message requests and story replies from people you do not follow. Those you do not follow and haven’t blocked will know that you don’t accept messages from everyone.

    You can also determine who can follow your Instagram account. Select Everyone and your account can be added by any Instagram member except those who you have blocked. Choose Only People You Follow and people you don’t know won’t be able to follow your Instagram account. Those you don’t follow and haven’t blocked will know that you don’t allow everyone to add you to groups if they try to do so.

    If you do not have the Instagram app installed on your mobile device, you can find it in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The purchase of Instagram by Facebook for $1 billion back in 2012 turned out to be one of the most profitable investments in tech history. As of last year, Bloomberg estimated Instagram’s value as a standalone company north of $100 billion. The app has more than 1 billion active monthly users and is the second most popular social network following Facebook. Instagram originally provided filters for photographs before it borrowed the Stories feature from Snapchat helping it to become the immensely popular online destination that it now is. And with 71% of its users under 35, Instagram is demand by advertisers looking to reach a decidedly younger demographic.

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  • Instagram gives iPhone users more control over data they share with other apps

    Instagram gives iPhone users more control over data they share with other apps

    Instagram is doing what Facebook did a long time ago, it gives users more control over the data they share with third-party apps. New in-app features are available starting today for iPhone users, which allows them to protect the data they share on Instagram.

    Many third-party apps ask you to connect with your Instagram account to provide you with services or additional features. After connecting your account to a third-party service, you may grant them access to some of your profile information, including usernames and photos.

    With the new features introduced today, Instagram is making it easier for people to manage all of the third-party services they connect to their accounts. You can do that by going to Settings in the Instagram app, then Security, tap Apps and Websites and should you see a list of any third-party services that are connected to your Instagram account.

    The list includes the option to remove any third-party service that you no longer wish to have access to new data on your Instagram account. Apart from the option to remove third-party services, Instagram also added an updated authorization screen that lists all the info that these apps request to access. You will then have the option to “cancel” or “authorize” the access directly from the authorization screen.

    Instagram announced these updates will be rolling out gradually over the next six months, so it looks like it will take quite a lot of time for everyone to be able to use them.

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  • Instagram update brings dark mode in iOS 13

    Instagram update brings dark mode in iOS 13

    Instagram made many headlines in the last week or so, as the company is bringing new features to its audience and testing others before releasing them to the general public. After introducing a brand new Threads app and removing one of its most controversial features, Instagram is once again in the spotlight, but for a very different reason.

    The social network has just pushed out another update for its iOS app, which brings the highly-anticipated dark mode. The changelog published in the App Store doesn’t mention anything other than bug fixes and performance improvements, but The Verge confirms native dark mode support for iOS 13 is there.

    Still, you will not be able to turn the dark mode on or off within the application. Instead, the iPhone’s system-wide settings are the ones that dictate Instagram’s behavior, so if you choose to use the dark theme on your iPhone, the app will match it with its own.

    We’re not complaining, but it would have been nice to be able to switch it on and off directly from within the app. All in all, it’s great that another popular iOS app is getting important visual improvements like the dark mode.

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  • Instagram enables augmented reality shopping through its mobile app

    Instagram enables augmented reality shopping through its mobile app

    Instagram continues to add new tools to its app to enable users to interact in different ways with the content it provides. The latest updated tackles augmented reality, a technology that many other companies have already implemented in their products.

    Starting today, several brands that are using Instagram to sell their products will now be able to add a new augmented reality feature that lets customers try their products before they buy it.

    The new feature is meant to help Instagram users to preview certain products they plan to buy and see what they look like on their face. To try out these new AR-compatible products, Instagram users must first find these specific products that brands are tagging in a post. Then, simply choose the option to try out the product using an augmented reality filter before adding it to the cart.

    But the new feature is not only meant to shop easier, as Instagram users can share these AR experiences in Stories, which will also link to the original product so that other users can try it out and, eventually, buy it.

  • Threads from Instagram is a new app made to keep you in touch with your close friends

    Threads from Instagram is a new app made to keep you in touch with your close friends

    Facebook got away with one of the biggest thefts (legal, mind you) in the history of technology. Back in April 2012, not long after Instagram launched its Android app, Facebook bought the company for a paltry $1 billion. Not that anyone knew it was a steal at the time; Instagram was merely an app with photo filters and no one could foresee how it would explode to become one of the most popular social media destinations. By June 2018, Instagram reached a milestone as it hit one billion monthly active users. At that time, it was estimated that Instagram alone was worth $100 billion dollars. So obviously Facebook made an incredible investment.
    Today, Facebook announced a new “camera-first messaging app” called Threads from Instagram. This is a stand-alone app designed to keep you connected with a small group of friends; the idea is to use the camera on your phone to shoot photographs and videos to express how you’re feeling. You can share photos, videos, messages, and even Stories with your those on your Instagram close friends list. With Threads from Instagram, you get to decide who you communicate with.
    “Over the last few years, we’ve introduced several new ways to share visually on Instagram and connect with people you care about – from sharing everyday moments on Stories to visual messages on Direct. But for your smaller circle of friends, we saw the need to stay more connected throughout the day, so you can communicate what you’re doing and how you’re feeling through photos and videos. That’s why we built Threads, a new way to message with close friends in a dedicated, private space.

    Threads is a standalone app designed with privacy, speed and your close connections in mind. You can share photos, videos, messages, Stories and more with your Instagram close friends list. You are in control of who can reach you on Threads, and you can customize the experience around the people who matter most.”-Facebook

    With Threads from Instagram, you can message only those people whom you put on your Instagram close friends list; you’ll have an inbox and receive notifications just for messages from them. And if you haven’t made a close friends list on Instagram, you can do so directly from the Threads from Instagram app once you install it. The app opens by default to the camera and allows you to add shortcuts to the screen. That means you can share your images and videos with just two taps
    If you don’t have the time to send a photo, video or message to your buds, you can tell them what’s up using Status. Thread will recommend one (like studying), or you can customize your own (for example, procrastinating). And with Auto Status, the app will share a little bit about where you are without giving away actual coordinates. For example, Auto Status could show that you’re on the move, at home or in a coffee shop. If you are inside a coffee shop, the Auto Status won’t reveal the name of the shop or the address of the specific location you’re at. Status and Auto Status can only be viewed by your closest friends, and it is opt-in. You decide when to share your Status, and more importantly, you decide who gets the opportunity to see it.
    Even if you install Threads from Instagram, messages from your closest friends will still appear in Direct on Instagram besides showing up in the new app. This way, you don’t have to give up Instagram when messaging with your closest pals. Threads from Instagram (remember the full name-otherwise you’ll end up with a sewing app) started rolling out globally today for Android and iOS from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, respectively.
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  • Chatime creates Instagrammable 3D-painted walls in Japan stores

    Chatime creates Instagrammable 3D-painted walls in Japan stores

    Taiwanese shaken ice-tea brand Chatime has incorporated large areas of 3D-painted walls into the interior design of the tea shops in a move to target female customers who enjoy taking photos in its Japanese stores.

    The vivid 3D-painted walls were created by local Japanese designers for people to check in on social media.

    The themes and styles vary between outlets. The strategy, which follows the trend to take pictures with bubble tea for social check-ins, has seen customers spending more time queuing for a picture than for a cup of bubble tea.

    In a similar move, Chatime has launched limited products with visually appealing packages to encourage instagram posting.

    Chatime is now the fastest-growing brand in its category within the territory, with three stores opening every two months. Its shop in Shibuya 109 has regularly reported daily sales of 1000 cups. The firm’s shop in Osaka’s Shinsaibashi District has now become the brand’s top store globally in terms of sales, retailing more than 2000 cups per day.

    Chatimed expects to expand to 35 outlets within Japan by the end of this year.

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  • Instagram tests hidden like counts in Australia

    Instagram tests hidden like counts in Australia

    Some Instagram users in Australia are no longer able to see exactly how many likes other users’ posts have received, after the social media platform expanded a test to hide like counts to more countries today.

    Instagram has been testing hidden like counts in Canada for the past 2.5 months, and on Thursday, the platform expanded the test to six more countries, including Australia and New Zealand.

    According to reports, users involved in the test can still see how many likes their own posts receive, but the number is not made public, unless they opt out of the test. Instead, posts show the usernames of one or two people, and say they and “others” have liked the post.

    The company, which is owned by Facebook, has said it is exploring whether hidden like counts will encourage users to pay more attention to the photos and videos being shared, rather than the number of likes a post receives.

    The change comes amid growing concern about the impact of social media on users’ mental health, especially young people. A recent study conducted with university students found that those who limited their total time on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to 30 minutes per day reported feeling less depressed and lonely.

    The head of Instagram Adam Mosseri recently told the Financial Times that ensuring safety and well-being on the platform is his “number-one priority”.

    In addition to hiding like counts, the platform is also exploring features to reduce bullying on Instagram, such as a new “nudge” feature that will warn users if they’re about to comment something hurtful, and an “away mode” that will enable users to take a break from the platform without deleting their account.

    The platform is also exploring ways to enable users to control how certain people interact with them without having to block them completely.

    But while these measures largely have been welcomed by users, it is unclear how they will impact the millions of businesses that use Instagram to share new products and offerings with consumers.

    Like counts not only give businesses a rough indication of how popular certain products or trends are, they are a key metric for influencers and the brands that hire them.

    An Instagram spokesperson said: We understand that this is important for many creators, and while this test is in exploratory stages, we are thinking through ways for them to communicate value to their brand partners.”

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  • Nike grows profit, pulls product in China

    Nike grows profit, pulls product in China

    Sportswear brand Nike has revealed its net profit increased to US$4 billion during the 2019 financial year, compared to the previous year, which saw Nike earn US$1.9 billion.

    The large disparity is attributed to the enactment of the Tax Act last year, which raised Nike’s effective tax rate to 55.3 percent – causing a 54 percent drop in profits. In FY19, Nike’s tax rate returned to a more normalized level of 16.1 percent.

    The positive results come at a turbulent time for the sportswear giant, which recently faced a social media backlash in China after Undercover, a Japanese streetwear label it collaborated with on a line of sneakers, shared an Instagram Story with the caption, “No Extradition to China,” and “Go Hong Kong”.

    Nike subsequently pulled the sneakers from its offering in China, according to media reports.

    Nike president, chairman, and chief executive Mark Parker told investors the business is committed to the China market “for decades to come”.

    “We are and remain a brand of China and for China,” Parker told analysts, according to the Financial Times.

    “We’re confident that we’ll continue to grow sport and our business in China for decades to come.”

    On Thursday, Parker told investors FY19 was a pivotal year for the retailer.

    “Our distinctive innovation and digital advantage led to accelerated growth across our complete portfolio, while our brand fuelled deeper relationships with consumers around the globe,” he said in a statement.

    Revenue grew 7 per cent to US$39.1 billion, driven by sportswear, Jordan, and running, as well as strategic investments in innovation and digital led by Nike Direct.

    The Converse brand saw revenue grow 3 per cent to US$1.9 billion, which was mainly driven by double-digit growth in Asia and digital.

    Nike and Retail Prodigy Group have been contacted for comment.

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  • Instagram announces ads will be served to users Explore feed

    Instagram announces ads will be served to users Explore feed

    Instagram has just confirmed it will bring ads to your Explore feed. As one of the go-to features for Instagram users who search for places, shops and connect with people businesses and creators, Explore looks like a great monetization tool.

    According to Instagram, more than 50% accounts on its social network use Explore every month to see photos and videos related to their interests from accounts they aren’t following. Apparently, the company considers brands an important part of the Instagram experience for its users, which is why over the next few months, it will introduce ads in Explore feed.

    Instagram says it will release ads in Explore “slowly and thoughtfully,” so not everyone will see them at the same time. Here is how it works for users: after tapping on a photo or video in Explore, you may see ads as part of your browsing experience just like in the main feed.

    For advertisers, it’s quite obvious that this is an opportunity to reach larger audiences in Explore. And they will be able to do that by extending their campaigns with a simple opt-in. So, there you have it, folks, expect to start seeing ads in your Explore feed pretty soon.

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  • Love, Bonito to open in Funan Mall

    Love, Bonito to open in Funan Mall

    Online fashion retailer Love, Bonito is about to open its third and largest physical store yet, at Funan mall.

    Set to offer a “thoughtful and feminine” retail experience, the store will have customer touch points such as “Instagrammable” spots, and an express counter for click-and-collect orders.

    “More importantly, the store will hold dedicated and designated space for us to bring our community together to experience the brand, via workshops and events,” Rachel Lim, Love, Bonito co-founder said.

    The store will also offer personal stylists on demand who will be ready to give fashion advice to customers.

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  • New Instagram feature turns your Story into a sing-along

    New Instagram feature turns your Story into a sing-along

    Remember when Instagram was known for its photo filters? Back in the day, when Instagram added a new filter to the app, it was a newsworthy story. In 2016, the site added its Stories feature (copied from Snapchat) and last year Instagram had more than one billion monthly active users. Facebook bought Instagram for approximately $1 billion back in 2012, and daddy’s deep pockets allow Instagram to continue developing new features.

    For example, Instagram revealed that users can now automatically add song lyrics to a Story. To do this, they will have to add a music sticker to their story and search for a song. If lyrics are available for the song selected, the user will be able to choose from different fonts and designs for the words to the song. Members will also be able to edit which part of the song to play on their Stories. Once someone selects that Story to view, the lyrics will appear automatically. If someone taps on the lyrics, they will be able to hear the song continue playing and learn more about the artist who sings it. Before this feature was added, an Instagram user could add music to a Story, but if he wanted the lyrics to appear, they would have to be typed out by the member.

    The new feature is available in all markets that support the use of Instagram’s music stickers. To add the music sticker, after you create a photo or text for your Story, tap on the sticker icon at the top of the screen. Then click on the Music sticker and select a song. If lyrics are available for that tune, you’ll see them on the screen even while you preview your Story. If lyrics are not offered for the song you select, a notification saying this will appear at the top of the screen.

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  • Massive leak exposed personal data of 49 million Instagram Accounts

    Massive leak exposed personal data of 49 million Instagram Accounts

    An Instagram database containing the private information of 49 million members, was accidentally left exposed on Amazon Web Services. The database could have been viewed by anyone since it did not have a password for protection. The accounts in the database included those belonging to Instagram influencers, celebrities, and corporate brand accounts and contained their biographies, profile pictures, number of followers, location (city and country), phone numbers and email addresses.

    The leak was discovered by security researcher Anurag Sen, who then contacted TechCrunch to help find the owner of the database. As it turns out, the information belonged to a social-media firm in India called Chtrbox that pays influencers to put up sponsored content on their Instagram accounts. The data included a ranking of each influencer depending on the number of followers they each have and the response to their posts by other Instagram members. While Chtrbox hasn’t commented yet on the matter, the database has since been taken offline.

    Facebook bought Instagram in April 2012 for approximately $1 billion and said that it will investigate the incident.

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