Instagram’s added a slew of new updates to the platform, including more options for Story polls, a Your Activity menu, shutting down in-stream video ads, and the ability to translate Reels descriptions.
So, let’s start from the top: polls. Polls are a form of sticker that one can apply to Stories on Instagram, and they allow users to type in two separate options that users can then click on. A question can be written in association, to provide more context. However, previously polls on Instagram were completely limited to two options in a single story, which meant that users couldn’t really afford to get more creative outside of yes/no questions or choices. The other option was relying on a separate answer sticker which allows users to type in whatever they want as an answer, which still doesn’t act as a reliable substitute for actual polls. Now, however, users can add in extra options, with Instagram increasing the answer options limit from two to four, as spotted by Meg Coffey!
Next, there’s the addition of a new menu in the settings: Your Activity, as spotted by Hammod Oh. Your Activity, as the name quite explicitly implies, allows users to keep a closer track of their activity on the platform. There are eight separate metrics and forms of content that a user can keep track of: photos and videos, archived or otherwise; interactions in the form of comments and likes; account history and major changes; archived, which deals with all archived content; recent searches; visited links; how time was expended across the platform; and recently deleted content. Most of these were already accessible forms of information in some way or another: however, centralizing them altogether under one easily accessible menu is definitely the way to go.
Next in line is perhaps my favorite interface change that Instagram has brought to the tale today: in-stream advertisements will no longer play and interrupt anyone’s viewing experience, reports Alessandro Paluzzi. As a person who is honestly tired of YouTube’s back to back double ads on videos that last five minutes, this is such a relief to hear. Sure, advertisers may not be happy but they still have a lot of relevant ad space on the platform and I really don’t feel very sympathetic.
Finally, there’s the ability to translate Reels descriptions that has been added to the platform. Users could already translate comments and description boxes on normal photos and videos. Having the ability to do so on Reels was always going to happen; yet I’m glad it did anyways.
Read next: Instagram comes up with a new live banner feature which will allow users to get more eyeballs on their live videos
So, let’s start from the top: polls. Polls are a form of sticker that one can apply to Stories on Instagram, and they allow users to type in two separate options that users can then click on. A question can be written in association, to provide more context. However, previously polls on Instagram were completely limited to two options in a single story, which meant that users couldn’t really afford to get more creative outside of yes/no questions or choices. The other option was relying on a separate answer sticker which allows users to type in whatever they want as an answer, which still doesn’t act as a reliable substitute for actual polls. Now, however, users can add in extra options, with Instagram increasing the answer options limit from two to four, as spotted by Meg Coffey!
Next, there’s the addition of a new menu in the settings: Your Activity, as spotted by Hammod Oh. Your Activity, as the name quite explicitly implies, allows users to keep a closer track of their activity on the platform. There are eight separate metrics and forms of content that a user can keep track of: photos and videos, archived or otherwise; interactions in the form of comments and likes; account history and major changes; archived, which deals with all archived content; recent searches; visited links; how time was expended across the platform; and recently deleted content. Most of these were already accessible forms of information in some way or another: however, centralizing them altogether under one easily accessible menu is definitely the way to go.
Next in line is perhaps my favorite interface change that Instagram has brought to the tale today: in-stream advertisements will no longer play and interrupt anyone’s viewing experience, reports Alessandro Paluzzi. As a person who is honestly tired of YouTube’s back to back double ads on videos that last five minutes, this is such a relief to hear. Sure, advertisers may not be happy but they still have a lot of relevant ad space on the platform and I really don’t feel very sympathetic.
Finally, there’s the ability to translate Reels descriptions that has been added to the platform. Users could already translate comments and description boxes on normal photos and videos. Having the ability to do so on Reels was always going to happen; yet I’m glad it did anyways.
#Instagram is working on the ability to translate #Reels descriptions 👀 pic.twitter.com/I1FGTLFtbj
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) January 26, 2022
Read next: Instagram comes up with a new live banner feature which will allow users to get more eyeballs on their live videos