Instagram has been working like rent is due and dropping updates like it’s hot. In this week’s round of digital updates, we have a whole heap of Instagram updates you will actually WANT to know more about as well as some tests they’ve confirmed they’re working on. Meta group admins have been warned and TikTok gets on the AI labelling bandwagon + more digital updates that you actually want to know about…

Instagram updates you need to know

Instagram has been busier than tweens in Kmart when the latest SoFresh CD came out in 2000. These are some of the latest updates they’ve dropped:

• We can now add music to photo carousels. We know the creatives are cheering.
• More people (up to three) can now collaborate on a post or Reel. Making collaboration so much easier. They’ve reported that this feature will be available for private accounts too, as long as they follow you back. But don’t worry, you’ll still have to approve the post before it hits your feed.
• The Add Yours sticker has been added to Reels and can be highlighted with a “Creator pick” tag. Which could be a fun way for businesses to show off their customer’s use of their products/services. Creators can pick up to 10 Reels to highlight (which could be a fun idea for competitions too!)
• Introducing the Template Browser to make content creation a breeze. Browse templates by category and organised by Recommended, Trending and templates or audio you’ve saved – say goodbye to procrastination or excuses about not being creative enough. Let someone else do the hard work!
• Similar to CapCut, Instagram will soon be rolling out the ability to automatically add text and transitions that were used in the original Reel template.

Meta has warned Group Admins, step up or get booted out

Meta has had enough of inactive group admins and has finally stepped up with a new prompt. To assign additional admins or risk having someone automatically assigned in their place. We welcome the change as all too often groups are left to the mercy of trolls, bots and scams. But it just really gives business owners a kick to make sure they’ve got their ducks in a row to ensure they’ve got those backups sorted. Have you audited your groups recently?

Instagram is testing group mentions and collaborative posts

Adam Mosseri recently dropped this test that we are SO HERE for in his Instagram channel. It looks like Instagram is testing a way to tag an entire group in a single tag on Stories. And as someone who often has to tag 10+ businesses in a networking event, I AM HERE FOR IT. Fingers crossed we get this one soon!

Also spotted in the wild by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, Instagram has been testing a new option to allow users to add their own images and videos to an existing post. But don’t worry too much, the original creator will still have the final say on what makes the cut. And any requests won’t be seen unless approved by the creator. It’s kind of giving Facebook collaboration photo album vibes? We’re curious to see if this sparks more engagement on the app, or whether those who prefer a curated feed won’t love the idea of others messing up their vibe.

TikTok is cracking down on AI

TikTok is joining the AI transparency bandwagon and has added a new requirement for labels to be added for AI-Generated Content. TikTok is prompting users to label AI-generated content that helps users know the difference between real and fictional content where it depicts ‘realistic scenes’. We can’t wait to see this rollout and if views will be limited, accounts banned or warnings put in place for those who don’t follow the rules.

And the Threads updates keep coming…

Determined to keep the platform evolving and trying to come back from its recent decline in numbers, Adam Mosseri recently dropped some new updates on his Instagram Channel. We’ve summarised them below:

• Threads can now be shared in Instagram DMs
• All the threads you’ve liked in one place
• Accounts sorted by followers
• The ability to add custom alt-text to your image/video

This week was a hot one, right? As always. If the updates are a little too much and you CBF keeping up, we’ve got you. Feel free to reach out for a free chat and we can discuss taking social media off of your plate, so you can concentrate on your business (and we’ll worry about the updates).

XOXO

OMD SQUAD