Photo-sharing app Instagram announced that it would be updating its software with a feature that would make longtime users smile.
Quieting Your Feed Down
Instagram posted on its official blog on Tuesday, May 22, that users would soon be able to choose the posts they see on the app. The mute feature would allow users to hide certain posts from their Instagram feed without unfollowing the ones who posted. Once users mute the account, they would still be able to see their uploads and be notified if they are mentioned or tagged in any of the posts.
The people whom the users choose to mute will not find out about the action. Instagram also will also give the option to unmute accounts. When users unmute the person, they would be able to see their posts and videos.
How Does It Work?
Users should tap the ... Menu located below the paper airplane icon to access the mute button. It is in between the "Unfollow" and "Share to Facebook" options.Once users hit the button, they would be able to either hit "Mute Posts" or "Mute Posts and Story." Instagram users can also mute posts and stories by accessing a profile.
The company added that users have been demanding this feature. An Instagram spokesperson exclusively told Tech Times that the mute button would make the experience more personalized.
"We've also heard it may be a useful tool for managing complex social dynamics," said the Instagram spokesperson.
Other Instagram News
While the mute button is expected to roll out in weeks, Instagram is also testing a new feature called the mid-feed alert. Once users have already seen every Instagram post from the accounts they are following, a message would appear saying: "You're All Caught Up - You've seen all new posts from the past 48 hours."
On May 15, Instagram's Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Systrom, revealed on Twitter that the social media app was working on a feature called "Usage Insights." It hopes to find out how much time users spent on Instagram. The company leader was forced to confirm the "Usage Insights" creation after TechCrunch was tipped off by Jane Manchun Wong, who found a piece of code labeled "slideout_menu_time_spent" inside Instagram's Android application package.
Recently, movie ticket company Fandango announced that it would introduce a "Buy Tickets" button on its official Instagram account. The new tab that was sandwiched between the "Shop" and "Call" options will allow its Instagram followers to purchase movie tickets instantly. Mark Young, Fandango's senior vice president of strategic and business development, told Tech Times that the "Buy Tickets" button was a natural extension of what the company had been doing with e-commerce and social media apps such as Facebook Messenger.
