Getty Instagram introduced a surprised update Thursday morning that changes the way users navigate the app.
Instagram users woke up to an update that has many confused about how to navigate the popular social media application. The new layout has eliminated the scroll capability on the app’s home page; instead, users must now tap or swipe left and right in order to see new posts from the users they follow. When a user attempts to scroll down on the app, as they have always been able to do, a gray screen appears that explains that the change is “Introducing a new way to move through posts. Tap through posts, just like you tap through stories.” It then instructs that you “tap [the screen] to see the next post.”
Although the change is as simple as scrolling left and right instead of up and down, it entirely changes the way in which users are accustomed to looking at posts on their newsfeed. In June 2018, The Verge reported that Instagram had 1 billion users worldwide, an increase in 200 million from its census of 800 million the previous year. It appears as though the app has been changed globally, for a majority of users. The Independent pointed out that although the app usually staggers the release of major changes, “the update appears to have rolled out for a huge number of Instagram users at once.”
As users of the app realized the change this morning, many took to Twitter to express their unhappiness. @melissa_golds wrote “Dear #instagram, I really hate this update, please bring back the scroll. Sincerely, everyone.” The tweet quickly accumulated over 1,000 likes and 500 retweets.
Dear #instagram, I really hate this update, please bring back the scroll.
Sincerely, everyone.
Youtuber Elle Mills joked that the change likened Instagram to the popular dating app Tinder, which asks users to swipe left and right based on interest. Actor Drake Bell tweeted at @Instagram, asking “Have you been drinking?!!”
instagram, if i wanted tinder, i would have downloaded tinder.
What the heck @instagram ?!! Have you been drinking?!!
Many users, especially those whose apps auto-update, also took to Twitter asking for a way to uninstall the update and revert back to the previous format. If you do not have auto-update enabled for Instagram, your app has likely not been affected. According to NBC News, many users quickly reported that their feeds “went back to normal” shortly after the change, suggesting that Instagram was rolling back the update due to users’ swift negative response.
UPDATE: Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri responded to the Twitter backlash, explaining that the update was meant to be a test that reached more users than it was meant to. According to Mosseri, the change has already been rolled back and restarting the app should revert it back to its previous format.
This is not the first time the app has introduced changes that sparked outrage among users. Ad News reported that when Instagram introduced “Recommended” posts to users feed (from accounts the users did not follow), many were critical of the change, which an Instagram spokesperson said was their solution to “always looking for ways to connect you to new and interesting content on Instagram.” With this new tap/swipe format to the app, sponsored ads are more noticeably mixed in with the posts from users you actually follow; approximately one in five posts is a targeted ad based on your Instagram preferences.