Here are the 2024 new Instagram features and updates! You’re not going to want to miss out on these.
As always, we will be updating this blog post to bring you up-to-date with all the latest Instagram updates each month of 2024.
January 2024 new Instagram features & updates
Notes
After testing out the “Notes” feature in DMs in some countries last year, it is now available more worldwide.
Keep your friends and followers updated on your status with a real-time note.
You can access the note by going into your DMs, or clicking on “Note” above your profile picture on your profile page.
Video notes
Don’t feel like writing out a note? Record a video instead! This short clip will be available on your notes for the next 24 hours.
Avatars
This is an older feature too, but it is now available to everyone around the world.
You can create a virtual version of yourself (a custom avatar): with your favorite hairstyle, outfit, makeup, accessories, and more!
Haptic swipe carousel
A new way to swipe through carousel posts! Rather than swiping left and right to go through the slides, follow these steps instead:
- Place and hold your finger on the grey dots under the carousel post
- Slide your finger right and left to scroll through the photos (you will likely experience a haptic vibration as you scroll through the posts)
Audience
Now, “Close Friends” is for more than just your Insta Stories. Next time you want to keep a feed post more low-key, choose the Audience you want to share your post with.
Add poll to caption
Polls are no longer just for Insta Stories. Get creative in your caption with a poll to ask for your followers’ votes, learn helpful insights, or post a silly “Would you rather?” just for fun!
Parental controls and teen privacy defaults
Choose what you want your child to see or not see on Instagram with the new parental controls.
Nighttime nudges
Staying on your phone late at night and need a reminder to disconnect?
Instagram can now send “Night-time nudges” to teen accounts to help them get off their phone.
Techcrunch says that “The new nighttime nudges will appear when teens have spent more than 10 minutes on Instagram in places like Reels or DMs late at night.”
February 2024 New Instagram Features & Updates
Made for you
Let Instagram make Reels videos automatically for you. Just pick photos and videos from your camera roll, and Instagram will do the rest (including editing your clips to follow the beat of your chosen song).
Note: You can then save your video to your camera roll and upload it in your Preview App to plan your feed and schedule it. You can also schedule it to post to TikTok too.
Make your Collections Public
You can make your “Collections” public so that people can see what you’ve saved. It will show up in your profile.
Text Outline for Reels
There is a new font style available for Reels (maybe soon for Stories too).
You can add an outline around your text.
Just tap on the third button on top of your screen:
Choose your Reels Text Wisely
As Instagram explains:
“Anyone can create Reels using your Original Text. You will be listed as the author and can view all Reels created with it. You can remove your name at anytime.”
Share a Comment to your Story
Received an awesome comment? You can share it in your Story.
- Swipe your finger to the left on top of the comment
- Options will appear
- Tap on the “Story” icon (the first one)
- Design your Story how you want
Like this:
Tip: If you don’t want to see the post, just make it super small and hide it in a corner, or behind an emoji or text.
Hide comments
Tap on “Hide” under a comment if you don’t want others to see it. The person will not know that you hid their comment.
You can unhide the comments at anytime.
Note: You can also hide comments from your Preview App too.
New Reels Audio Releases
Want to use the latest audio or trending audio? Want to be the first to join a trend?
- Open your Reels editor
- Tap on the “Audio” button
- Scroll down to “New Releases” and “Original Audio”
- Tap on “See More” to see even more new audio
March 2024 New Instagram Features & Updates
Scam protection for hidden words
In an effort to protect users against spam, Instagram will now filter messages they suspect are scams to your hidden requests folder when you have the setting turned on to hide message requests and particular words.
Review public info about accounts before opening links
To further protect their community, Instagram has rolled out a new feature where you can review public information about the account before clicking on any links, giving users an opportunity to learn a bit more about the account they are interacting with before opening any potentially harmful links.
Common information in this includes the account username, when they joined Instagram, how many former usernames the account has, and more.
Swipe to reply to comments
AI Chats by Meta AI
AI Chats by Meta AI are a brand new AI chat messaging system only being tested in the US at the moment.
You can start an AI Chat 1 on 1 or for a group.
Some features include asking the AI to send you Reels of places you want to explore, provide recommendations, generate a custom image, and search the web with Bing. There are different AI characters to interact with (some modeled based on popular celebrities), creative tools, resources, and more!
Ads with promo codes
A new global rollout, Instagram will start adding brands promo codes to their ads and at checkout to ensure “that you are getting the best price when you shop through ads on Instagram”.
The promo codes are directly from the brands and are automatically added to your purchase or displayed at checkout for you to utilize.
Edit your messages
Instagram announced major upgrades to direct messages this month, including the ability to edit your messages.
Make a typo? Forget to add an important detail? You now have up to 15 minutes after you’ve sent your message to make any changes you’d like.
Pin chats to top of inbox
Have a message you don’t want to get buried in your inbox or a certain friend you’re always sharing Reels with?
Eliminate the hassle of scrolling through all of your messages and pin your top 3 chats to the top of your inbox.
Toggle read receipts in DMs
Whether you prefer to leave them on read or keep them guessing if you’ve seen their message, you can now toggle your read receipts on and off.
Save your favorite stickers and upgrade your replies
Customize your messages with fun extras like GIFs, voice messages, photos, and more! Plus, if you have stickers you always go back to, you can now save it to your favorites so it’s always at the top.
Personalize your chats with more themes
Who doesn’t love a theme? While we’ve always loved a good theme for your feed, you can now add a theme to your DMs. Choose from a variety of options, like romantic hearts, lively lollipops, or even Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Hidden emoji game
Have even more fun on Instagram with this new hidden emoji game! It’s so fun and simple. Here’s how to play:
- Open a direct message
- Send a single emoji (or have the other person send the emoji) – it can be anything you want!
- Click on the emoji and the game will appear
- The objective is to keep the emoji bouncing by moving the paddle at the bottom. The better you do, the darker the screen will get and the faster the emoji will bounce!
Not all users have this yet, so keep an eye out in your DMs to see if you have access.
That’s it!
We will keep updating this blog post as we go.
Which one is your favorite new feature so far?