Dear Instagram, please bring back these 4 features
Initially, Instagram gained popularity as a photo-sharing app. But now it is more than that. It is like the new Facebook with fewer words and more pictures and videos. You meet people, find old friends, fix your mood, look for the latest trends, consume content of every genre, and basically spend maximum hours on your day and the whole data pack on Instagram. And we are not even guilty. Its content consumption has come so far that people are now making huge sums of money from Instagram.
The app has also gone through multiple changes over the years. Most of these updates, like the reels, have made users spend more time on the app.
On the other hand, some features of the classic Instagram which are no longer on the app, still have a fan base. And we still are figuring out why Instagram discontinued those. If you are one of the earliest users of the app from 2010, then you could definitely relate to this.
Sill scratching your head? Let us help you recall Instagram features that we would love to have back.
1. FOLLOWING IN THE ACTIVITY SECTION
This deserves to be on the top. Earlier, Instagram allowed you to track the activities of the people you follow.
You could really see who is following whom, at what time and on which date.
Now, scrolling through your crush's following list to find out the new additions seems like a task. Earlier, you could track their activity with a simple swipe.
You could see the posts liked by people in your following list and also their comments.
This feature simply made stalking easier. Couples miss this feature the most as they could see what their partners were up to.
2. POSTS YOU’VE LIKED
Every Instagram user has had a conversation which goes like, “Did you see that post on Insta? Wait I will show you.”
Then we all go to the 'posts you’ve liked section' and find the post.
Also, people like me often like or save a post to view it later with details and audio (most of the time).
But then one day we all woke up and found that the 'post you’ve liked' has disappeared.
I felt like my whole collection of funniest memes, trendy clothes and good music just disappeared one morning. Now, saving the posts is the only option left.
Let's reveal a secret here: You can still see the post you have liked recently but the procedure is a little complicated. You need to do the following:
- Go to the menu on you profile page
- Tap on your activity
- Go to interactions
- Now you can see the likes, comments and story replies option
3. YOU CANNOT SHARE REELS DIRECTLY TO YOUR STORY
After making a reel, you had two options: a) share it as a story and b) share it as a post.
So, all the reels under the category 'felt cute but might delete later’ used to go directly to the stories.
But now, after making a reel you will see only one option and that is 'post' on your feed.
You cannot share a reel directly as a story soon after filming if it is not in your feed.
In case you want to do so, you need to first save it and then upload it in the story section and add music separately. That’s too much work, especially for creators.
4. MUSIC OPTION IN STORIES
For a short while, Instagram offered an 'add music' option in the story panel where it had boomerang, collage and other options.
This helped users to make lip-syncing videos hassle-free rather than making a reel, saving it, uploading it and then adding music.
If you are not able to recall, here’s a video:
But yes, you can still add music to your stories with the feature present in stickers.
Which feature do you love or about in the app? Let us know in the comments.