Instagram

After we got a sneak peek at the feature last month, Instagram has quietly rolled out the option to create and publish posts from its website on desktop (but not on iPad). The new functionality includes the ability to use filters and edit photos and videos as well. Check out a closer look below including how to post to Instagram on Mac and PC.

Instagram for iOS is testing a change that is sure to be controversial. The company says it will expand its “Suggested Posts” feature such that you’ll now see suggested posts directly in your primary feed of the app. That is, Suggested Posts will appear inter-mixed, and in some cases above, posts from people you actually follow.

After testing various forms of the feature going back to 2019, Instagram and Facebook have officially launched the option to hide like counts today. The functionally comes with control to hide others’ like counts as well as your own.

Instagram is planning to send 2FA codes on WhatsApp, according to the leaker and app analyst Alessandro Paluzzi. As for now, Instagram only allows Two-Factor Authentication through an Authentication app, text messages, login requests, and backup codes.

Instagram users can already access it from a computer or even iPad through the desktop website, but there’s no option to upload photos, videos, or even stories. However, this is expected to change soon, as the company is now working on an update to its website that will allow users to create posts from there.

A research study into use of social media platforms by minors found that upwards of 40% of children under 13 were using them, despite accounts supposedly being limited to teenagers and adults. The research included TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

The study also found that a full third of minors had experienced an “online sexual interaction,” which included being asked for, or receiving, nude photos …

Now that iOS 14.5 has been released to the public, we’re starting to get a closer look at how various companies are implementing the new App Tracking Transparency privacy requirement. Perhaps most notably, the Verge has details on the popup message Facebook and Instagram are using to encourage users to choose the “Allow” option when prompted about tracking…

After announcing Live Rooms in March, Instagram is now adding two new features to Instagram Live: Users can now mute their microphones and even turn their video off while on a live stream.

TikTok is illegally collecting data from children, according to a legal case made by the former children’s commissioner for England. She says the company is breaching privacy laws.

Anne Longfield has filed a claim on behalf of “millions of children,” and is seeking to force TikTok to delete personal data as well as pay “billions” in compensation …

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, an international coalition of 35 children’s and consumer groups, is calling on Instagram to stop its plans to create a version of the app for users under age 13.

Instagram has been playing with like counts for several years now. In about half a dozen countries, the platform has been doing a test where it hides like counts altogether. Now Instagram is giving users the choice to customize how like counts work in a new test.

After rolling out an update that restricts the direct messaging feature for teenagers, Instagram may soon introduce a new platform for kids. As discovered by BuzzFeed News, Facebook is working on a new version of the popular photo social network targeted at children under the age of 13.