Changes
415 times Instagram's guidance changed, newest first. Each shows what was said before, and what replaced it.
2022
RemixJul 2022
Remix expands beyond videos to public photos and adds new layouts and the option to play your clip after the original.
Before
New Features“This week I'm going to talk about a couple new features that we're launching on Instagram. Now we're focused on building for teens and creators, and in the spaces of video and messaging, and these are within those themes.”
After
Introducing New Ways to Collaborate and Create With Reels“Today, we’re announcing new features to Instagram that make it more fun and easy to collaborate, create and share reels. We’re expanding our tools for Remix to help enhance the way you tell stories on Instagram when collaborating with your favorite creators and friends, including: - Remix for photos: Photos are core to the Instagram experience.”
RemixJul 2022
Mosseri expands the earlier video-only Remix guidance to include photos, additional layouts, and clips appended after the original video.
Before
New Features“This week I'm going to talk about a couple new features that we're launching on Instagram. Now we're focused on building for teens and creators, and in the spaces of video and messaging, and these are within those themes.”
After
Reels Updates“The first of which is templates. So if you go to the reels tab and tap on the camera, at the bottom you have a template option which will show you a bunch of different reels ideas because sometimes we just need a little bit inspiration.”
Instagram SubscriptionsJul 2022
Subscriptions added subscriber chats, permanent exclusive content, and a dedicated profile tab beyond the initial launch features.
Before
Subscriptions“This week we're launching our first version of subscriptions on Instagram. At the beginning of the year I said we're gonna build primarily for teens and for creators, and subscriptions are for creators. Now creators do what they do to make a living, and it's important that that is predictable.”
After
New Ways for Creators to Connect With Subscribers on Instagram“As part of our work to help creators make a living on Instagram, we began testing Subscriptions earlier this year as a way for you to establish a closer connection with your community while earning predictable, monthly income.”
Instagram SubscriptionsJul 2022
The small US test expanded to tens of thousands of US creators.
Before
Subscriptions“This week we're launching our first version of subscriptions on Instagram. At the beginning of the year I said we're gonna build primarily for teens and for creators, and subscriptions are for creators. Now creators do what they do to make a living, and it's important that that is predictable.”
After
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.”
Instagram SubscriptionsJul 2022
Subscriber-only content expanded beyond Stories and Lives to include posts and Reels that remain on creators’ profiles.
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
New Ways for Creators to Connect With Subscribers on Instagram“While exclusive stories and live allow you to connect with subscribers in the moment, we know that content that lives on your profile is an important way to attract new subscribers and retain your community. We’re introducing exclusive content as posts or reels, so your subscribers can engage in the comments and come back to enjoy the content you’ve created for them.”
Instagram SubscriptionsJul 2022
Subscriptions added subscriber chats for up to 30 people, extending the original benefits beyond exclusive Lives, Stories and badges.
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
New Ways for Creators to Connect With Subscribers on Instagram“The value of subscription offerings across the industry has largely been content-based, but we want to give you a unique way to build community with your subscribers, which we believe can also expand your earning potential.”
Cross-postingJun 2022
Instagram expanded Reels sharing beyond eligibility to appear on Facebook to direct cross-posting that also makes creators eligible for Facebook monetization tools, including overlay ads and bonuses.
Before
Reels on Facebook“Today reels on Facebook is expanding to the entire world. Now reels have been on Instagram for a while now, and reels have been on Facebook in the US, in Mexico, in Canada, and in India since the second half of last year.”
After
Creator Updates“can find creators and look for opportunities to work together. The second is improvements to reels. Now you've been able to make your reels that you post on Instagram eligible to show up on Facebook for a while now.”
User attributesJun 2022
Instagram expanded its approach to determining users’ ages beyond collecting birthdays to include ID uploads, social vouching and video-selfie verification.
Before
Asking People for Their Birthday on Instagram“We’ve been clear that we want to do more to create safer, more private experiences for young people. To do that we need to know how old everybody is on Instagram, so we’ve started asking people to share their birthday with us if they haven’t shared it previously.”
After
Age Verification“Age Verification To help us provide people with experiences that are appropriate for their age, it’s critical for us to understand people’s ages. Our industry-leading approach to age verification now includes: ID upload Social vouching Video selfie with @getyoti If you'd like to learn more about this update check out the link in my bio.”
Branded contentJun 2022
The planned creator marketplace moved toward testing, with details on in-app deal management, proposed in-app payments and brand discovery filters.
Before
Empowering Content Creators with Marketing Accelerator Program in Turkey“We’re pleased to announce the Facebook Creator Marketing Accelerator program in Turkey, which will provide support for Instagram content creators. The program aims to provide a platform for young people to earn income while expressing themselves, as well as provide support for new business structures.”
After
Helping Creators Build a Business Now — And for the Metaverse“We will soon begin testing Creator Marketplace on Instagram, where brands and creators can more easily build branded content partnerships. Creators will be able to indicate the brands and topics they’re interested in making branded content for, discover opportunities to partner with vetted brands and manage their brand deals without ever leaving the app.”
Parental supervisionJun 2022
The education hub adds articles from more expert organizations, and a new privacy page provides information for teens across Meta apps.
Before
Introducing Family Center and Parental Supervision Tools on Instagram and in VR“Family Center includes a new education hub where parents and guardians can access resources from experts and review helpful articles, videos and tips on topics like how to talk to teens about social media. Parents can also watch video tutorials on how to use the new supervision tools available on Instagram today.”
After
New Tools and Resources for Parents and Teens in VR and on Instagram“We’re adding new articles to the Family Center education hub from organizations like ParentZone, Media Smarts, National Association for Media Literacy Education and Cyberbullying Research Center. These articles give parents helpful tips on how to talk to teens about different online topics such as connecting safely with others and how to be more self-aware online.”
Parental supervisionJun 2022
Supervision expanded beyond the US, parents could now initiate it, and scheduled periods blocking Instagram use became available.
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
New Features“Keeping teens safe on Instagram is so important. And today we're announcing all sweet new tools for parents and for teens to help keep teens safe on Instagram. The first area is parental controls because we think that parents know what's best for their kid because each kid is different.”
ExploreJun 2022
Sensitive Content Control expanded from Explore to all recommendation surfaces, including Search, Reels and in-feed recommendations.
Before
Introducing Sensitive Content Control“sensitive content from accounts you don’t follow. You can think of sensitive content as posts that don’t necessarily break our rules, but could potentially be upsetting to some people – such as posts that may be sexually suggestive or violent.”
After
Updates to the Sensitive Content Control“personalize their experience on Instagram. Last summer, we launched the Sensitive Content Control so people could choose how much or how little sensitive content to see in Explore from accounts they don’t follow. Today, we’re announcing updates to this control.”
Sensitive contentJun 2022
Sensitive Content Control expanded from Explore to all recommendation surfaces, including Search, Reels, suggested accounts, hashtag pages and in-feed recommendations.
Before
Introducing Sensitive Content Control“Something has become increasingly clear over the years – people have very different views about the experience we offer, and if it’s the right one for them. We believe people should be able to shape Instagram into the experience that they want.”
After
Updates to the Sensitive Content Control“personalize their experience on Instagram. Last summer, we launched the Sensitive Content Control so people could choose how much or how little sensitive content to see in Explore from accounts they don’t follow. Today, we’re announcing updates to this control.”
Sensitive contentJun 2022
Instagram strengthened its existing Search safeguards by extending its Recommendation Guidelines enforcement technology to recommendations in Search and on hashtag pages.
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
Updates to the Sensitive Content Control“personalize their experience on Instagram. Last summer, we launched the Sensitive Content Control so people could choose how much or how little sensitive content to see in Explore from accounts they don’t follow. Today, we’re announcing updates to this control.”
Sensitive contentJun 2022
The control expanded beyond Explore to Search, Reels, suggested accounts, hashtag pages and in-feed recommendations.
Before
Introducing Sensitive Content Control“sensitive content from accounts you don’t follow. You can think of sensitive content as posts that don’t necessarily break our rules, but could potentially be upsetting to some people – such as posts that may be sexually suggestive or violent.”
After
Updates to the Sensitive Content Control“personalize their experience on Instagram. Last summer, we launched the Sensitive Content Control so people could choose how much or how little sensitive content to see in Explore from accounts they don’t follow. Today, we’re announcing updates to this control.”
Sensitive contentJun 2022
The options were renamed from Allow, Limit and Limit Even More to More, Standard and Less.
Before
Raising the Standard for Protecting Teens and Supporting Parents Online“- We’ll stop people from tagging or mentioning teens that don’t follow them. - We’ll be stricter about what we recommend to teens in Search, Explore, Hashtags and Suggested Accounts. - We’ll start nudging teens towards different topics if they’ve been dwelling on one topic for a while.”
After
Updates to the Sensitive Content Control“personalize their experience on Instagram. Last summer, we launched the Sensitive Content Control so people could choose how much or how little sensitive content to see in Explore from accounts they don’t follow. Today, we’re announcing updates to this control.”
Content recommendationsJun 2022
Sensitive Content Control expands beyond Explore to all recommendation surfaces, including Search, Reels, suggested accounts, hashtag pages and in-feed recommendations.
Before
The photos and videos to see in the Explore tab are there not because you follow the account that posted them, but rather because we think you might be interested in them.“The photos and videos to see in the Explore tab are there not because you follow the account that posted them, but rather because we think you might be interested in them. Given that we, feel we have a responsibility to be careful to not recommend anything that might be sensitive.”
After
Updates to the Sensitive Content Control“personalize their experience on Instagram. Last summer, we launched the Sensitive Content Control so people could choose how much or how little sensitive content to see in Explore from accounts they don’t follow. Today, we’re announcing updates to this control.”
Content moderationMay 2022
Instagram began testing additional warnings before more severe penalties, refining the system in which accumulated content violations can lead to suspension.
Before
New Transparency Tools“they can understand exactly why they might not be having the experience they expect on Instagram. We're also launching something we're calling a count status. So this is taking some data you already have access to, specifically any content violations you have, um, so any content, any photos or videos that you've posted have been taken down, and elevating it so that you can get to it really easily and find out exactly how many violations you have and what the reasons were.”
After
Community Standards Enforcement Report, First Quarter 2022“Over the years we’ve invested in building technology to improve how we can detect violating content. With this progress we’ve known that we’ll make mistakes, so it’s been equally important along the way to also invest in refining our policies, our enforcement and the tools we give to users.”
Instagram ShoppingMay 2022
Photo-based product search moved from a planned feature to an available tool using a new photo or an image from the camera roll.
Before
New Ways to Shop for Products You Love Across Our Apps“We’re investing in immersive technologies like augmented reality and artificial intelligence that will be the foundation for the way we shop online going forward. With new visual discovery tools on Instagram, we’re helping shoppers find new products, and with AR experiences we’re helping people visualize items before they buy.”
After
@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.”
Photo taggingApr 2022
Enhanced people tags now display the tagged account’s self-selected profile category, adding context and credit beyond the account link.
Before
Introducing Instagram Photos of You“Photos are memories of the people, places and moments that mean the most to us. We have always sought to give you simple and expressive ways to bring the stories behind your photos to life. Your captions and hashtags capture the “what?””
After
New Features“second is enhanced people tags. So you've always been able to tag accounts on Instagram and photos and videos for a long time now, but now you can actually select the category for yourself. So if you go into profile edit profile, and that category will show up when you are tagging a photo or a video.”
HashtagsApr 2022
Selected cause-related hashtag pages added options to share movement information and start fundraisers alongside browsing content and following the hashtag.
Before
Now You Can Follow Hashtags on Instagram“Today we’re introducing the ability to follow hashtags, giving you new ways to discover photos, videos and people on Instagram. Now it’s even easier to stay connected with the interests, hobbies, passions and communities you care about.”
After
New Hashtag Experience“work out which hashtags to start with for our first version of destinations. And when you get to one of these destinations, in addition to what you would normally see on a hashtag page, related content and the ability to follow and get that content in your feed, we're also providing people the opportunity to support that cause.”
SharesMar 2022
Instagram added a tap-and-hold shortcut to the share button for quickly sending posts to close friends.
Before
New: Share Feed Posts to Instagram Stories“Today, we’re introducing a new way to easily share feed posts to your story. When you come across something in feed that inspires you – like a post from a friend raising money for a cause or a photo of a new design from your favorite brand – you can now quickly share that post as a sticker to your story for your friends and followers to see.”
After
Introducing New Messaging Features on Instagram“We’ve made several improvements that help people chat, share, and respond: - Reply while you browse: Receive a new message while you’re browsing your feed? You can now reply without going to your inbox and losing your place.”
FeedMar 2022
The planned alternative feeds became available with the launch of Favorites and Following.
Before
Testing Feed Changes“Happy news everyone, I hope you had a restful holiday. I thought I'd kick off this year with an overview of how I'm gonna give you more control over your Instagram experience. It's important to me that people feel good about the time that they spend in the app, and I think giving people ways to shape Instagram into what's best for them is one of the best ways to pursue that goal.”
After
Two New Ways to Control Your Instagram Feed“Today, we’re introducing Favorites and Following, two new ways to choose what you see in your feed. We want you to be able to shape Instagram into the best possible experience, and giving you ways to quickly see what you’re most interested in is an important step in that direction.”
FollowsMar 2022
Feed recommendations moved from a test shown after followed accounts’ new posts to an established part of the main feed, with more recommendations planned.
Before
Testing Recommended Posts in the Instagram Feed“Today, we’re testing recommended posts in Feed, a new way to see content you may like on Instagram. The recommendations are based on the people you follow and photos and videos you like. You’ll see recommended posts at the end of your Feed, once you’ve seen everything new from people you follow.”
After
Two New Ways to Control Your Instagram Feed“Your Instagram feed is a mix of photos and videos from people you follow, suggested posts and more. Over time, we’re going to add more recommendations to your feed based on your interests — Favorites and Following are new ways to catch up on recent posts from the accounts you follow.”
FeedMar 2022
The planned alternative feeds became available as two chronological Feed views, Following and Favorites.
Before
Testing Feed Changes“Happy news everyone, I hope you had a restful holiday. I thought I'd kick off this year with an overview of how I'm gonna give you more control over your Instagram experience. It's important to me that people feel good about the time that they spend in the app, and I think giving people ways to shape Instagram into what's best for them is one of the best ways to pursue that goal.”
After
Chrono Update“Chrono Update Today, we’re launching two new chronological views for your Instagram Feed – Following and Favorites. These options give you more choice and control over what you see in the app. Let me know what you think”
FeedMar 2022
Favorites moved from a planned feed to an available feature, with a chronological Favorites view and priority placement for favorite accounts in the ranked main feed.
Before
Testing Feed Changes“Happy news everyone, I hope you had a restful holiday. I thought I'd kick off this year with an overview of how I'm gonna give you more control over your Instagram experience. It's important to me that people feel good about the time that they spend in the app, and I think giving people ways to shape Instagram into what's best for them is one of the best ways to pursue that goal.”
After
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.”
FeedMar 2022
Favorites moved from a planned feed to an available feature, with a chronological view and higher placement for favorite accounts in Home.
Before
Testing Feed Changes“Happy news everyone, I hope you had a restful holiday. I thought I'd kick off this year with an overview of how I'm gonna give you more control over your Instagram experience. It's important to me that people feel good about the time that they spend in the app, and I think giving people ways to shape Instagram into what's best for them is one of the best ways to pursue that goal.”
After
Two New Ways to Control Your Instagram Feed“Your Instagram feed is a mix of photos and videos from people you follow, suggested posts and more. Over time, we’re going to add more recommendations to your feed based on your interests — Favorites and Following are new ways to catch up on recent posts from the accounts you follow.”
FeedMar 2022
Following moved from a test with a planned launch to an available chronological feed accessible through the Instagram-logo menu.
Before
Testing Feed Changes“I use it for siblings, if you're my favorite creators, if you're my best friends. The third we're calling Following, and it'll be a chronological list of posts just from the accounts you follow because Home is going to have more and more recommendations over time.”
After
Two New Ways to Control Your Instagram Feed“Your Instagram feed is a mix of photos and videos from people you follow, suggested posts and more. Over time, we’re going to add more recommendations to your feed based on your interests — Favorites and Following are new ways to catch up on recent posts from the accounts you follow.”
FeedMar 2022
Following moved from a chronological feed being tested ahead of a planned launch to an available option users were encouraged to try.
Before
Testing Feed Changes“I use it for siblings, if you're my favorite creators, if you're my best friends. The third we're calling Following, and it'll be a chronological list of posts just from the accounts you follow because Home is going to have more and more recommendations over time.”
After
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.”
Time spentMar 2022
The parental controls planned for March became available through Family Center, including tools to view and limit a teen’s time on Instagram.
Before
New Safety and Well-being Features“Take a break does what you think it does, and encourages you to step away from Instagram once you've been scrolling for a certain amount of time. And it allows you to set notifications or reminders to do the same thing in the future, all built on top of our daily limits feature that we launched a few years ago.”
After
New Supervision Tools“Today we're announcing the Family Center, which is a place where parents can go to access guardian controls for their teens. At the start, they're going to be able to see how much time their teens spend on Instagram, set limits on that time, and have access to information about what that teen may have reported.”