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Instagram is embracing the ‘photo dump’

Aisha Malik — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 17:38:48 +0000

Instagram is rolling out the ability for users to add up to 20 photos or videos to their feed carousels, as the platform embraces the trend of “photo dumps.” Back in 2017, Instagram added the ability to post up to 10 photos or videos in one swipeable carousel post. Now, you can post double the […]

Meta is rolling out its AI Studio in the US for creators to build AI chatbots

Ivan Mehta — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 12:36:25 +0000

Meta said Monday that it is rolling out its AI studio to all creators in the U.S. to let them make personalized AI-powered chatbots. The company first announced the AI Studio last year and started testing it with select creators in June this year. Meta is making the tool available to all creators, who can […]

TechCrunch Minute: Meta’s new ‘Imagine me’ feature lets you generate AI selfies

Amanda Silberling — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Meta’s AI integrations into apps like Instagram and Facebook have felt pretty useless so far. If I’m just trying to find my friend’s Instagram, why do I have to navigate around a Meta AI interface that is desperately trying to tell me the top five vegetarian protein sources? But with the release of Meta’s new […]

Oversight Board wants Meta to refine its policies around AI-generated explicit images

Ivan Mehta — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

The Board wants Meta to change the terminology it uses for labeling explicit, AI-generated images from "derogatory" to "non-consensual."

Meta puts a halt to training its generative AI tools in Brazil

Lauren Forristal — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 18:47:08 +0000

Meta has suspended the use of its AI assistant after Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) banned the company from training its AI models on personal data from Brazilians. The move puts a dent in Facebook’s attempt to build out its AI products in Brazil, a market with more than 200 million people. As cited […]

Instagram now allows users to add multiple audio tracks to Reels

Ivan Mehta — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 05:38:37 +0000

Instagram just announced that it will allow users to add multiple audio tracks to their Reels worldwide. The company noted that users can add up to 20 tracks in a single Reel. To add a new track to your video, tap on the “Add to mix” option in the Reel editor. Once you add the […]

How to tell if your online accounts have been hacked

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 20:00:00 +0000

This is a guide on how to check whether someone compromised your online accounts.

While TikTok chases YouTube, Instagram vows to focus on short-form content

Aisha Malik — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 15:00:52 +0000

As TikTok continues to test the waters with longer videos, Instagram Head Adam Mosseri has said the Meta-owned social network will continue to focus on short-form content. In an Instagram Reel, Mosseri said that long-form content would move the platform away from its two key focus areas, which are connecting people with their friends and […]

How to set up parental controls on Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and more popular sites

Aisha Malik — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 19:15:00 +0000

We’ve created this guide to help parents navigate the controls offered by popular social media companies.

Threads nears its one-year anniversary with more than 175M monthly active users

Aisha Malik — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 14:50:10 +0000

Meta’s Threads now has more than 175 million monthly active users, Mark Zuckerberg announced on Wednesday. The announcement comes two days away from Threads’ first anniversary. Zuckerberg revealed back in April that Threads had more than 150 million monthly active users, up from the 130 million reported in February. Threads launched on July 3, 2023, at […]

Meta changes its label from ‘Made with AI’ to ‘AI info’ to indicate use of AI in photos

Ivan Mehta — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 14:00:00 +0000

After Meta started tagging photos with a “Made with AI” label in May, photographers complained that the social networking company had been applying labels to real photos where they had used some basic editing tools. Because of the user feedback and general confusion around what level of AI is used in a photo, the company […]

Meta starts testing user-created AI chatbots on Instagram

Ivan Mehta — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 16:21:33 +0000

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Thursday that the company will begin to surface AI characters made by creators through Meta AI studio on Instagram. The tests will begin in the U.S. The social media company’s announcement comes on the same day as a16z-backed chatbot company Character.AI is rolling out the ability for users to […]

Just in time for the debates, Meta fixes bug impacting users’ political content settings on Instagram and Threads

Sarah Perez — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 15:19:39 +0000

Meta has fixed the bug that caused people to believe the company had adjusted their selections in a political content settings tool without their consent. The issue had impacted users on both Instagram and Threads, seemingly resetting users’ content settings back to the default, which limits the amount of political content users see from people […]

TikTok’s Instagram rival, Whee, has no traction

Sarah Perez — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 16:33:36 +0000

Like Instagram, Whee also supports the use of photo filters and includes messaging. However, the company's plans for Whee aren't clear.

Inspired by Gen Z, Pinterest users can now turn boards into videos for sharing on Instagram and TikTok

Sarah Perez — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 15:52:47 +0000

The new addition was inspired by the video-sharing activity that was already taking place on apps like TikTok.

Meta makes its AI chatbot available to all users in India

Ivan Mehta — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:30:00 +0000

After a few months of testing during the general elections, Meta is making its Llama 3-powered AI chatbot available to all users in India. However, Meta AI currently only supports English and no other local languages. The company started testing Meta AI in India across WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook in April by rolling it […]

Meta is tagging real photos as ‘Made with AI,’ say photographers

Ivan Mehta — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 14:25:11 +0000

Photographers say the social media giant is applying a ‘Made with AI’ label to photos they took, causing confusion for users.

Instagram now lets users livestream exclusively to their Close Friends list

Aisha Malik — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Instagram is introducing the ability for users to broadcast live to just their Close Friends list, the company announced on Thursday. The new “Close Friends on Live” feature allows users to go live with up to three other people. Instagram says the new feature can be used to share what’s on your mind, spontaneously catch […]

You can now customize your For You feed on Threads using swipes

Sarah Perez — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 20:38:18 +0000

Instagram Threads is rolling out the ability for users to signal which sort of posts they wanted to see more or less of by swiping.

Instagram confirms test of ‘unskippable’ ads

Sarah Perez — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 16:49:11 +0000

The change would see Instagram becoming more like the free version of YouTube, which requires users to view ads before and in the middle of watching videos.