Changes
415 times Instagram's guidance changed, newest first. Each shows what was said before, and what replaced it.
2023
ExploreJan 2023
Bulk hiding in Explore and keyword filtering moved from testing announcements to available features, and Explore’s Not Interested feedback would also influence recommendations elsewhere.
Before
Testing More Ways to Control What You See on Instagram“Today, we’re announcing that we’re testing two new ways to help you shape your Instagram experience. And we’re sharing a list of controls and methods that you can use to see more of what you want on your Instagram Feed.”
After
Giving People Control Over Their Time and What They See on Instagram“We want to give people more control over the content they see on Instagram, so we’re introducing new features that allow people to tell us what content they don’t want recommended to them. First, you can now choose to hide multiple pieces of content in Explore that you aren’t interested in at one time.”
Parental supervisionJan 2023
Supervision expands to let parents view their teen’s settings and blocked accounts and receive notifications when settings change.
Before
New Supervision Tools“New Supervision Tools Today, we’re introducing new supervision tools on Instagram and the launch of our Family Center – a new, central place for parents/guardians to be more involved in their teens’ online experience. Let me know what additional features you’d like to see”
After
Giving People Control Over Their Time and What They See on Instagram“In addition to providing teens with more ways to manage their time and experiences on Instagram, we want to help parents be more aware of the choices their teens make, and make it easier for them to have discussions with their teens about their settings through Family Center and supervision tools.”
Parental supervisionJan 2023
Parents gained visibility into blocked accounts and account settings, extending the earlier ability to see their teen’s followers and followed accounts.
Before
Introducing Family Center and Parental Supervision Tools on Instagram and in VR“Supervision tools on Instagram are available in the US today, with plans to roll out globally in the coming months. Our first set of parental supervision tools on Instagram will allow parents and guardians to: - View how much time their teens spend on Instagram and set time limits.”
After
Giving People Control Over Their Time and What They See on Instagram“In addition to providing teens with more ways to manage their time and experiences on Instagram, we want to help parents be more aware of the choices their teens make, and make it easier for them to have discussions with their teens about their settings through Family Center and supervision tools.”
Content recommendationsJan 2023
Explore’s Not Interested tool gains multi-select, and feedback there will also influence recommendations in places such as Reels and Search.
Before
This week I share some of my favorite design details in Instagram: long press the Explore tab to search, double tap the Profile tab to switch accounts, press and hold a story to pause it – how do you use Stories without that one??“Last but not least one of my personal favorites, peeking. So here I'm gonna go to explore and let's say I'm interested in something I'm seeing here. Let's say I'm interested in I don't know this men's fashion post.”
After
Giving People Control Over Their Time and What They See on Instagram“We want to give people more control over the content they see on Instagram, so we’re introducing new features that allow people to tell us what content they don’t want recommended to them. First, you can now choose to hide multiple pieces of content in Explore that you aren’t interested in at one time.”
Content recommendationsJan 2023
Hidden Words expands from filtering messages and comments to filtering recommended posts by words, emojis or hashtags in their captions or hashtags.
Before
2022 Priorities“2021 was a big year. We vaccinated over four billion people around the world. We saw focus on the well-being of athletes with amazing brave people like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka. We created Britney. We saw Olivia Rodrigo break onto the scene.”
After
Giving People Control Over Their Time and What They See on Instagram“We want to give people more control over the content they see on Instagram, so we’re introducing new features that allow people to tell us what content they don’t want recommended to them. First, you can now choose to hide multiple pieces of content in Explore that you aren’t interested in at one time.”
Content recommendationsJan 2023
Not Interested Multi-Select moved from testing to launch.
Before
Testing More Ways to Control What You See on Instagram“Today, we’re announcing that we’re testing two new ways to help you shape your Instagram experience. And we’re sharing a list of controls and methods that you can use to see more of what you want on your Instagram Feed.”
After
New Control Features“New Control Features Today, we’re launching new tools to help people — especially teens — manage their time and what they see on Instagram: - Quiet Mode - Hidden Words for Recommendations - Not Interested Multi-Select Check out the link in my bio for more info”
Instagram ShoppingJan 2023
Instagram announced it would remove the Shop tab in February, replacing guidance to shop through the bottom shopping-bag icon while keeping shopping in Feed, Stories, Reels and ads.
Before
@shop Turns 3 With a Pop-up Boutique in NYC“Instagram is the place to discover unique products, gifts and shopping inspiration – just tap the shopping bag icon at the bottom of your screen! You can even search for products by taking a photo or choosing one from your camera roll.”
After
Navigation Update“We're simplifying the nav. The new nav on Instagram we're announcing today is going to be home, search, create, reels, and then profile. So we're bringing create down to the bottom front and center, and we're removing the shop tab.”
2022
StickersDec 2022
Add Yours gained nominations, letting people tag specific people and invite them to participate.
Before
New Stories Features“stickers are more consistent with the rest of how Instagram works. When you do swipe up that means that you can do reply or react and we want to make sure that you could still have those sort of meaningful interactions from stories.”
After
One Launch + Four Tests “first is nominations. So the ad your sticker has been around for a while. So way to start a trend, get other people to add to that trend. Now nomination allows you to tag people with that sticker and nominate them to participate because maybe you've got an idea of who could be really great for that sticker.”
Saved postsDec 2022
Collections expanded beyond private organization with a test of collaborative collections that multiple people can share and contribute to.
Before
Back to an earlier idea to highlight lesser known great Instagram features.“Hi everyone, welcome to another week. I thought this week I'd actually get back to an old idea I had, which was to share some cool little hidden gems sprinkled throughout Instagram. And the one I was gonna talk about today was collections.”
After
One Launch + Four Tests “posted before about how I use collections heavily to organize all the things that I find on Instagram. I think are amazing. Collaborative collections what they sound like. They're a way to actually. Share a collection with other people, and you can both contribute to that one collection.”
Saved postsDec 2022
Instagram begins testing collaborative collections in group and one-to-one DMs, extending collections beyond the earlier private, only-you model.
Before
Introducing New Ways to Organize Your Saved Posts“Starting this week, you can save posts into private collections. Tap and hold the bookmark icon underneath any post to save it directly to a collection. You can create and name a new collection when you save a post, or you can add it to one you’ve already created.”
After
New Sharing Features on Instagram: Notes, Group Profiles and More“Group Profile, that content will only be shared to group members instead of your followers, and will be posted on the Group Profile instead of your own. To create a new group profile, tap the + and select Group Profiles.”
SavesDec 2022
Instagram began testing collaborative collections, extending saving beyond private collections so friends could save posts together in group or one-to-one DMs.
Before
Introducing New Ways to Organize Your Saved Posts“Starting this week, you can save posts into private collections. Tap and hold the bookmark icon underneath any post to save it directly to a collection. You can create and name a new collection when you save a post, or you can add it to one you’ve already created.”
After
New Sharing Features on Instagram: Notes, Group Profiles and More“Group Profile, that content will only be shared to group members instead of your followers, and will be posted on the Group Profile instead of your own. To create a new group profile, tap the + and select Group Profiles.”
LimitsNov 2022
Instagram added prompts to turn on Limits when it detects a possible rush of comments or DM requests.
Before
Protecting Our Community from Abuse on Instagram“To help protect people when they experience or anticipate a rush of abusive comments and DMs, we’re introducing Limits: a feature that’s easy to turn on, and will automatically hide comments and DM requests from people who don’t follow you, or who only recently followed you.”
After
Protecting Footballers and Fans on Our Apps During the FIFA World Cup“Words last year, more than one in five people with more than 10,000 followers have turned it on. We’re also testing turning it on by default for people with creator accounts, which includes many footballers playing in the World Cup.”
Instagram SubscriptionsNov 2022
Instagram announced subscription tests in the UK, Australia, and Canada, extending availability beyond the US.
Before
Introducing New Tools for Creators to Build Businesses on Facebook and Instagram“We’re expanding access to subscriptions on Instagram to all eligible creators in the U. S. , so more creators can earn predictable income and connect more deeply with their most engaged followers. Since launching subscriptions earlier this year, we’ve seen creators like Cole Sprouse (@colesprouse), Alan Chow (@alanchikinchow) and Skai Jackson (@skaijackson) use subscriptions to get even closer to their most engaged supporters.”
After
Creator Week Announcements“Happy Creator Week. Today we're actually announcing a bunch of new ways for creators to make a living on Instagram and on Facebook because we know for so many creators out there, it's not just a hobby, it's a way to make a living.”
Instagram SubscriptionsNov 2022
Subscriptions expanded from a limited creator test to all US creators, with testing announced for the UK, Australia and Canada.
Before
Subscriptions“Subscriptions We want Instagram to be the best place for creators to make a living doing what they love. Subscriptions allow creators to monetize and become closer to their most engaged followers, by offering exclusive content and experiences: - Subscriber Lives - Subscriber Stories - Subscriber Badges We hope to add more creators to this test in the coming months.”
After
Creator Week Announcements“Happy Creator Week. Today we're actually announcing a bunch of new ways for creators to make a living on Instagram and on Facebook because we know for so many creators out there, it's not just a hobby, it's a way to make a living.”
Instagram SubscriptionsNov 2022
Access expanded from tens of thousands of US creators to all eligible US creators.
Before
Subscriptions Update“We want Instagram to be the best place online for creators to make a living. And a really important thing to creators everywhere is sustainable income because it's the day-to-day of your creator, your business. And a great way to establish some sustainable and predictable income is through subscriptions.”
After
Introducing New Tools for Creators to Build Businesses on Facebook and Instagram“We’re expanding access to subscriptions on Instagram to all eligible creators in the U. S. , so more creators can earn predictable income and connect more deeply with their most engaged followers. Since launching subscriptions earlier this year, we’ve seen creators like Cole Sprouse (@colesprouse), Alan Chow (@alanchikinchow) and Skai Jackson (@skaijackson) use subscriptions to get even closer to their most engaged supporters.”
Instagram SubscriptionsNov 2022
Subscriptions expanded from a limited creator test to all eligible creators in the U.S.
Before
Subscriptions“Subscriptions We want Instagram to be the best place for creators to make a living doing what they love. Subscriptions allow creators to monetize and become closer to their most engaged followers, by offering exclusive content and experiences: - Subscriber Lives - Subscriber Stories - Subscriber Badges We hope to add more creators to this test in the coming months.”
After
Introducing New Tools for Creators to Build Businesses on Facebook and Instagram“We’re expanding access to subscriptions on Instagram to all eligible creators in the U. S. , so more creators can earn predictable income and connect more deeply with their most engaged followers. Since launching subscriptions earlier this year, we’ve seen creators like Cole Sprouse (@colesprouse), Alan Chow (@alanchikinchow) and Skai Jackson (@skaijackson) use subscriptions to get even closer to their most engaged supporters.”
Hidden WordsOct 2022
Hidden Words adds protection for Story replies and more languages, and Instagram begins testing turning it on automatically for Creator accounts.
Before
Protecting Our Community from Abuse on Instagram“Today, we’re announcing new features to help protect people from abuse on Instagram: - The ability for people to limit comments and DM requests during spikes of increased attention - Stronger warnings when people try to post potentially offensive comments - The global rollout of our Hidden Words feature, which allows people to filter abusive DM requests We have a responsibility to make sure everyone feels safe when they’re on Instagram.”
After
Updates to How We Protect People on Instagram From Abuse“Since launching Hidden Words last year, more than one in five people with more than 10,000 followers have turned on the feature, giving them a powerful tool to automatically filter harmful content from their comments and message requests.”
Comment controlsOct 2022
Hidden Words filtering gained more languages, better detection of misspelled words, and additional default terms targeting spam and scams.
Before
Keeping Athletes Safe This Summer“A big part of how we prevent people from seeing abuse is identifying offensive content using technology. Since context is often crucial to spotting abusive language, we’re constantly training and improving our technology to catch more of this sooner.”
After
Updated Safety Tools“tool to help protect yourself in both comments and DMs. We're expanding the number of languages that we support hidden words in and adding a bunch including Farsi and Bengali and Tamil. We're also improving misspellings so someone spells the words slightly differently but we still catch it.”
LikesSep 2022
Instagram began testing like-count hiding controls for Reels, extending the existing post controls.
Before
Giving People More Control on Instagram and Facebook“Starting today, we’re giving you the option to hide like counts on all posts in your feed. You’ll also have the option to hide like counts on your own posts, so others can’t see how many likes your posts get.”
After
Hidden Gems - Private Like Counts“Hidden Gems - Private Like Counts Private like counts allow you to hide likes on photos/videos you post and on everyone’s photos/videos you see on Instagram. We’re currently testing these controls for Reels and hope to launch soon.”
Community GuidelinesAug 2022
Instagram added that recent or repeated Community Guidelines violations can make an entire account ineligible for recommendations, beyond removing violating content.
Before
Breaking Down How Instagram Search Works“We avoid showing you accounts, posts and hashtags that go against our Recommendations Guidelines in search results. We do this in a few ways. Accounts that post spam or violate our guidelines may appear lower in search results, and you may have to search their full username to find them.”
After
What Creators Need To Know About Instagram Recommendations“may depict violence, such as people fighting - Content that promotes the use of certain regulated products, such as tobacco or vaping products - Content that may be sexually explicit or suggestive, such as pictures of people in see-through clothing 2.”
ExploreAug 2022
Instagram began testing the ability to mark multiple Explore posts as Not Interested at once, extending the existing individual-post control.
Before
This week I share some of my favorite design details in Instagram: long press the Explore tab to search, double tap the Profile tab to switch accounts, press and hold a story to pause it – how do you use Stories without that one??“Last but not least one of my personal favorites, peeking. So here I'm gonna go to explore and let's say I'm interested in something I'm seeing here. Let's say I'm interested in I don't know this men's fashion post.”
After
Testing More Ways to Control What You See on Instagram“Today, we’re announcing that we’re testing two new ways to help you shape your Instagram experience. And we’re sharing a list of controls and methods that you can use to see more of what you want on your Instagram Feed.”
ReelsAug 2022
Recommendation advice expanded to favor original content and discourage reuploading reels already on Instagram.
Before
Shedding More Light on How Instagram Works“how interested you might be in what they shared. - Information about the reel. These are signals about the content within the video such as the audio track, video understanding based on pixels and whole frames, as well as popularity.”
After
What Creators Need To Know About Instagram Recommendations“1. Post original content: This includes content you filmed yourself or content that hasn’t been posted on Instagram before. Avoid reuploading reels that are already on Instagram or posting unoriginal or aggregated content. If you see a reel you think your followers would love, you can share it to your Story by using the share button.”
Recommendation eligibilityAug 2022
Instagram adds that repeated recommendation-guideline violations or a violating profile can make an entire account ineligible, rather than just individual posts.
Before
Recommendation Guidelines“Across our apps, we make recommendations to help you discover new communities and content we think you’re likely to be interested in. We suggest Pages, Groups, Events and more based on content you’ve expressed interest in and actions you take on our apps.”
After
What Creators Need To Know About Instagram Recommendations“1. Follow our Recommendation Guidelines: Because recommended content is shown to people who don’t already follow you, we have a higher standard for what we recommend than what we allow your followers to see. This is to reduce the likelihood that we recommend something potentially offensive or inappropriate to a broader audience who hasn’t explicitly indicated they want to see it.”
Account StatusAug 2022
Account Status expanded beyond removed posts and disablement risk to let professional accounts check recommendation eligibility, identify problematic content or profile elements, and fix or appeal issues.
Before
#SaferInternetDay“When you post something that goes against our Community Guidelines it will appear in your Account Status. To access Account Status go to your Profile and tap the menu in the upper right corner, next tap “Settings” then tap “Account” then tap “Account Status.””
After
What Creators Need To Know About Instagram Recommendations“We’re introducing the ability for professional accounts to check if their account’s content is ineligible to be recommended to non-followers in Account Status. With this update you can: - Check if your account’s content can be recommended: See if your content may be eligible for recommendation to non-followers in places like Explore, Reels and Feed Recommendations.”
Content recommendationsAug 2022
Instagram began testing marking multiple Explore posts as Not Interested at once, extending the earlier single-post action.
Before
This week I share some of my favorite design details in Instagram: long press the Explore tab to search, double tap the Profile tab to switch accounts, press and hold a story to pause it – how do you use Stories without that one??“Last but not least one of my personal favorites, peeking. So here I'm gonna go to explore and let's say I'm interested in something I'm seeing here. Let's say I'm interested in I don't know this men's fashion post.”
After
Testing More Ways to Control What You See on Instagram“Today, we’re announcing that we’re testing two new ways to help you shape your Instagram experience. And we’re sharing a list of controls and methods that you can use to see more of what you want on your Instagram Feed.”
Oversight BoardAug 2022
The Board’s binding authority is expanding beyond leaving content up or taking it down to include deciding whether some content should carry a warning screen.
Before
Oversight Board Selects Case on Breast Cancer Symptoms and Nudity“Note: For future Facebook updates about Oversight Board cases, please visit the Transparency Center. Update on February 25, 2021 at 10:00AM PT: As noted below, Facebook previously reinstated this content as it did not violate our policies.”
After
Community Standards Enforcement Report, Second Quarter 2022“Expansion of the Board’s Scope: The board will soon issue a new type of binding judgment on cases: whether or not we should apply a warning screen to some pieces of content. While the board has already been able to apply binding decisions on whether to take down or leave up pieces of content, this expansion will empower them further by giving them more input on how content appears and is distributed to people across our platforms.”
StickersAug 2022
Add Yours expanded from Stories to Reels, with an optional profile link crediting the person who started a trend.
Before
New Stories Features“stickers are more consistent with the rest of how Instagram works. When you do swipe up that means that you can do reply or react and we want to make sure that you could still have those sort of meaningful interactions from stories.”
After
Reels Updates“This week we're announcing three new features for video creators on Instagram. The first is we're bringing the add your sticker to reels to video on Instagram. Now the add your sticker has been on stores for a while now and it's been doing quite well.”
ReelsAug 2022
Creators gained the ability to cross-post a reel to both Instagram and Facebook, extending the earlier option of having Instagram Reels recommended on Facebook.
Before
Reels on Facebook“Reels on Facebook Today, Reels is launching globally on Facebook. Creators can now share their Instagram Reels as recommended content on Facebook for more visibility and reach. We are deeply invested in Reels across Meta.”
After
Reels Updates“The second new feature is the ability to cross post a reel from Instagram to Facebook. So if you do have accounts on both apps, you can now post a reel on Instagram and have it go to both apps to increase the number of people that you reach.”
FeedAug 2022
The promise that Favorites posts appear at the top of the main feed was qualified to say this happens whenever Instagram can.
Before
Chrono Update“Favorites. Favorites is a way to make sure you don't miss anything from the accounts that you care about most, and we'll show photos and videos from your favorites at the top of the main feed, and you can also get to a chronological feed of photos and videos from your favorites as well.”
After
Hidden Gems - Controls“favorites feed. Then your favorites feed is the feed of posts or photos and videos from accounts that you decide to favorite. When you favorite someone, they are not notified of you. When you favorite them, again they are not notified.”
ReelsJul 2022
Instagram expanded Reels from a short-video option to the single format for all newly created videos on Instagram.
Before
Introducing Instagram Reels“Today we’re announcing Instagram Reels: a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram. Reels invites you to create fun videos to share with your friends or anyone on Instagram. Record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects and new creative tools.”
After
Reels Updates“It's no secret that we've been trying to make Instagram do better by video while still doing right by photos long term. And this week we have a number of announcements about how to improve reels on Instagram.”