Instagram's Live Rooms allows up to four people at once to go live

Source: Instagram

Instagram is launching a new live streaming feature called Live Rooms. It will let four people at once on a live broadcast, which was previously only limited to two. According to the Facebook-owned company, it hopes the feature will encourage users to do things like start a talk show or podcast, collaborate with others, or hold "jam sessions."

Having more people on an Instagram Live can potentially grow its audience as the participants' followers can see if the Live is streaming. But The Verge pointed out that anyone blocked by the active participants won't be able to join the Live Rooms.

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Instagram mimics TikTok with 'Vertical Stories' prototype

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It looks like Instagram is looking to copy another social network. The company confirms it is in the early stages of prototyping Vertical Stories, which will give the app a more TikTok-like look. 

Instagram isn't testing this feature right now, but the code for the change is in development, as spotted by developer Alessandro Paluzzi.

TechCrunch pointed out that if Instagram decides to pursue this idea, then we might see the social network shift away from static content (such as photos or reshared Feed posts on Stories) to make way for videos. It could prioritize videos over photos, too, to better compete with TikTok. 

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Instagram lets you restore recently deleted posts

Source: Instagram

Instagram is launching a new feature to help you gain access to content you deleted. The aptly-named Recently Deleted allows you to review and restore deleted content in the Instagram app. The social network also said it added protections to prevent hackers from compromising your account and deleting posts you've shared.

Now, Instagram will ask you to verify that you're the rightful account holder when permanently deleting or restoring content from the Recently Deleted folder. 

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Instagram Stories on desktop gets a new look

Instagram is making it easier to view Stories when you're on your computer. You can now see clickable previews of Stories beside the one you're currently looking at. According to Instagram, this redesign should make it easier to navigate than the previous look. The social media site started testing this revamp earlier in the month, with plans to release it to all users soon.

Source: Engadget