New in Direct: Support for Landscape and Portrait Plus Links

Today, we’re introducing two new features in Direct: landscape and portrait orientations, plus links.

Now, whenever you send a permanent photo or video to your friends in Direct from your camera roll, you don’t have to worry about cropping it.

We’ve also added support for links in Direct. You can share website links with friends and preview them directly from your thread. You’ll also see links for phone numbers and addresses.

Since introducing the new Instagram Direct in April, we’ve been excited to give people more ways to have fun, visual conversations. We’ll continue to make improvements to Instagram Direct throughout the year.

Landscape and portrait uploads in Direct are available today on iOS, with Android coming soon. Links in Direct messages are available today on both Android and iOS as part of Instagram version 10.22.

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Introducing Location and Hashtag Stories on Explore

Today we’re excited to announce two new ways to discover the world around you on Explore: location stories and hashtag stories. Now you can see what’s happening around you and find stories related to your interests.

You’ll see a new story ring at the top of Explore filled with stories happening near you. These stories come from people who have used location stickers on their stories. You can also search for any location around the world, and you’ll see a story ring for that place at the top of the location page.

We’re also beginning to introduce hashtag stories on Explore to help you find stories related to your interests. When you search for a hashtag, you may see a story ring at the top of the page filled with stories using that hashtag.

Add a location sticker or hashtag to your story and you may be included in the larger story. If your story is added, you’ll see a line at the top of your stories viewer list showing how many people saw it in the larger story. If you want to use a location or hashtag sticker but don’t want your story to appear on Explore, tap the X on your stories viewer list.

From discovering new parts of your own city to jogging alongside the #fromwhereirun community all around the world, location and hashtag stories help you share these experiences as they unfold.

To learn more about location stories and hashtag stories, check out the Instagram Help Center.

Location stories on Explore are available on iOS and Android as part of Instagram version 10.22 in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Hashtag stories will be rolling out over the coming weeks.

instagram, instagram news, explore, stories,

Video

Introducing Face Filters and More on Instagram

Today, we’re introducing face filters in the camera, an easy way to turn an ordinary selfie into something fun and entertaining. Whether you’re sitting on the couch at home or you’re out and about, you can use face filters to express yourself and have playful conversations with friends.

From math equations swirling around your head to furry koala ears that move and twitch, you can transform into a variety of characters that make you smile or laugh. To see our initial set of eight face filters, simply open the camera and tap the new face icon in the bottom right corner.

Tap a filter to try it on, and keep an eye out for ones that work with a friend. Take a photo or video using the front- or back-facing camera — they even work with Boomerang, so you can easily add an unexpected twist to what you share! When you’re done recording, you can send it to your best friends through Instagram Direct or add it to your story.

And More

Also today, we’re rolling out more creative tools in the camera.

You can make videos that play in reverse with “Rewind,” a new camera format next to “Boomerang” and “Hands-Free.” Drop a microphone and watch it fly up into your hand. Capture a fountain in motion and share a rewind of the water floating back up. Experiment with some magic tricks of your own and defy the laws of physics wherever you are.

You can also add more context to your story with a new hashtag sticker. Just tap the sticker icon at the top right of your screen, select and customize the hashtag, then add it to your story. As with mentions, you can also add hashtags using regular text. People watching your story will be able to tap the hashtag sticker or text to visit the hashtag page and explore related posts.

Lastly, you’ll see a new eraser brush when using drawing tools. You can erase other things you’ve drawn and play around with removing color. After you’ve taken a photo or video, select a drawing tool and tap and hold to fill the entire screen with color. Then, using the eraser brush, you can creatively reveal parts of your photo or video underneath.

From the very first photo filter to Boomerang and more, Instagram has always been the place you can go to turn regular moments into something you can’t wait to share. Now, you have more fun and easy ways to express yourself and connect with the people you care about most.

To learn more about today’s updates, check out the Instagram Help Center.

These updates are available as part of Instagram version 10.21 for iOS in the Apple App Store and for Android in Google Play.

Instagram Stories, instagram, instagram news,

Video

Find Your Support Community on Instagram

In May, people come together to highlight the importance of talking about mental health and encourage others to seek support and treatment. Mental illness can affect anyone, and according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in the United States alone half of all chronic mental illness begins by the age of 14.

Every day on Instagram, we see people share their mental health journeys and connect with communities of support. From dedicated accounts around an issue to unique hashtags adopted by groups, these communities are helping to make illnesses that are often invisible to friends and family visible through photos and videos.

We are committed to fostering a safer, kinder community and highlighting these inspiring voices. For this video, we sat down with three people who have created communities on Instagram that offer much-needed support to others. This month, we’ll be using our own platform to show the video above to people all over the world, helping to raise awareness about mental health and the importance of finding support.

In addition to highlighting powerful voices, we are working to protect our community. In September, we announced new resources to connect people to vital mental health resources near them.

If you see a post on Instagram from someone who may be in need of mental health support, you can report it anonymously. The next time that person logs into the app, we will connect them to organizations in their country that offer help. We have teams working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to review these reports. We also display these resources when someone visits a hashtag page for a sensitive topic.

Beyond building better tools inside the app, we also work closely with organizations such as Crisis Text Line, National Eating Disorder Association and Samaritans.

I am inspired by the empowering voices on Instagram and how our community supports one another. If you or someone you love is currently struggling, visit instagram-together.com to find resources in your country.

Kevin Systrom
Co-founder & CEO

instagram, instagram news, mental health awareness month, mental health, support,

Photoset

700 Million

We’re thrilled to announce that our community has grown to more than 700 million Instagrammers. And the last 100 million of you joined faster than ever.

We’ve made it even easier for people across the globe to join the Instagram community, share their experiences and strengthen connections to their friends and passions. With new features like stories, live video and disappearing messages in Direct, people now have more ways than ever to express themselves and feel closer to what matters to them.

From all of us at Instagram, thank you!

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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. You can also create a collection out of your existing saved posts. Tap the plus icon in the top right corner, give your collection a name and select the saved posts you’d like to add.

You can find your collections on the saved posts tab on your profile. Just like all saved posts, your collections are private — only you can see them.

Since we introduced the ability to save posts last December, 46 percent of Instagrammers have saved at least one post. Whether you want to plan your next day trip, revisit your favorite artists’ illustrations or always have some animal videos on hand, collections can help you keep track of the posts you want to remember.

To learn more about save collections, check out the Instagram Help Center.

This update is available for iOS and Android in the Apple App Store and Google Play as part of Instagram version 10.16.

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New Stickers and More: Fun Ways to Be Creative in Stories and Direct

Today, we’re introducing new sticker tools that help you be even more creative, whether you’re sharing to your story or having conversations with your friends in Direct.

Over 200 million people now use Instagram Stories every day to keep up with friends and accounts they love. And with recent updates to Direct, it’s never been easier to have playful, visual conversations with close friends.

Now, with these new sticker tools, you have even more ways to turn your most casual, everyday moments into something fun to share.

Selfie Sticker and Pinning

Turn your selfie into a sticker so you can quickly share your reaction or trade faces with someone (or something) in your story. When you take a photo or video and tap the smiley face, you’ll see a new sticker with a camera icon that lets you capture a mini-selfie. Before or after capturing, tap to apply different frame styles: fade or circle. Put your selfie sticker anywhere, adjust the size and use as many other creative tools as you want.

You can also take your selfie sticker to the next level by pinning it to a specific spot in your video. Just tap and hold the sticker, move it over any object and confirm by tapping “Pin.” Pinning works with any sticker and text, and it’s extra fun with Boomerang and hands-free video. You can even pin multiple things in the same video.

Geostickers in Four New Cities

If you live in or are traveling to Chicago, London, Madrid or Tokyo, you’ll also start seeing geostickers for your city over the coming days. All of the geostickers have been designed by local community members to help bring the cities they call home to life. You’ll be able to see the artist’s username when you tap the sticker, so you can learn more about their unique artwork.

And More!

We’re rolling out a shortcut to your favorite stickers. After tapping the smiley face, simply swipe right to see your recently used stickers. Also, when you record a video using “Hands-Free” mode, tap and hold the button to see a timer that counts down to when the video begins.

To learn more about today’s updates, check out the Instagram Help Center.

These updates are available as part of Instagram version 10.16 for iOS in the Apple App Store and version 10.16.1 for Android in Google Play.

instagram, instagram news, instagram stories,

Video

Introducing the New Instagram Direct

Today, we’re launching the new Direct to make it fast and easy to turn any conversation into a visual conversation with photos and videos. Texts and reshares will now appear in the same thread with disappearing photos and videos so you can seamlessly go back and forth with your friends.

Send a disappearing photo or video to let your friends know what you’re up to, a funny selfie to capture the mood or share what’s happening around you. Here’s how it works:

Simply swipe left into Direct and tap the new blue camera icon at the bottom to take a disappearing photo or video, or tap the blue camera icon in an existing thread. As always, swiping right from feed will take you directly to the camera.
Tap the arrow to send it to individual friends or groups of friends.
Keep track of who has seen your message through notifications within the thread.

When you receive new disappearing messages, they’ll be highlighted blue in your inbox. Tap to view them and you can replay them once. The sender will be notified if you replay or screenshot the message.

Texts, uploads and reshares still work the same way.

Since our last update in November 2016, the number of people using Direct has grown from 300 million to 375 million. We want to make Direct the best place to have fun, visual conversations with your friends. Stay tuned for more.

To learn more about the new Direct, check out the Instagram Help Center.

The new Direct is available for iOS and Android in the Apple App Store and Google Play as part of Instagram version 10.16.

instagram, instagram news, instagram direct,

Fostering a Safer, Kinder Community

Last September, we made a commitment to the community to keep Instagram a safe place for everyone and built tools to safeguard self-expression on our platform. This year we will continue to act on that commitment and also focus on fostering kindness.

The first step is to celebrate the kindness our community is already known for. On March 25 and 26, tens of thousands of Instagrammers all over the world will come together for Worldwide InstaMeet 15 to share their stories and spread kindness in the world. You can find an InstaMeet near you or spread kindness by leaving an encouraging comment, giving an inspiring person a like or sharing a message of support with a friend.

As part of our goal to build a safe environment, we also have some updates to announce. Soon you may notice a screen over sensitive photos and videos when you scroll through your feed or visit a profile. While these posts don’t violate our guidelines, someone in the community has reported them and our review team has confirmed they are sensitive. This change means you are less likely to have surprising or unwanted experiences in the app. If you’d like to see a post that is covered with a screen, simply tap to reveal the photo or video.

Additionally, two-factor authentication is now available to everyone. This tool adds an extra layer of security to your Instagram account by requiring a code every time you log in. Tap the gear icon on your profile and choose Two-Factor Authentication to turn it on.

We’ve also developed an additional, easy-to-use site where you can learn about keeping yourself safe on Instagram. There, you can explore tools such as account blocking, comment controls, photo tagging and more. You can also connect with support services in your country and read more about how we’re building a positive community.

Our teams are focused on making Instagram a kind, welcoming place for everyone, and we’re just getting started.

To learn more about today’s updates, check out instagram-together.com and the Instagram Help Center.

Kevin Systrom Co-founder & CEO

instagram news, instagram,

New: Save Your Live Video to Your Phone

Starting today, you’ll have the option to save your live video to your phone at the end of a broadcast. While live videos will continue to disappear from the app when you’re done, this update gives you the flexibility to hold onto your video and re-watch it later, especially if something exciting happens during your broadcast that you want to remember or share.

After your live broadcast ends, tap Save in the upper right corner. You’ll only be able to save your video — not the comments, likes, number of viewers or any live interactions. After saving, tap Done and your live video will be saved to your camera roll but will no longer be available in the app.

We are excited by how our community is using live video to connect with their friends and followers in the moment. This is just the first of many improvements we’ll be making to live videos this year.

To learn more about today’s updates, check out the Instagram Help Center.

These updates are available as part of Instagram version 10.12 available for iOS in the Apple App Store and for Android in Google Play.

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