Thursday, February 6, 2020 at 2:38AM 
It might not be an essential update, but Instagram now lets users reply to Stories using GIFs. You can already add GIFs from Giphy into Stories themselves. Now, you can use these GIFs to reply to Instagram Stories, too. Maybe sometimes, when words aren't enough, there are GIFs to help you better express yourself.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 1:21PM 
Some of you may have already noticed that Instagram has introduced a new change to its app. The company has started rolling out an update that gets rid of the "Following" tab. It's previously accessible through the Activity section within the app. So, now when you select on the heart icon at the bottom of the screen, it'll only show your activity. Instagram started taking this feature out for some users since August, but now it'll begin rolling out to all users.
According to Vishal Shah, Instagram's head of product, the decision to remove the Following tab was so the app has a simpler look. Shah said, "People didn't always know that their activity is surfacing. So you have a case where it's not serving the use case you built it for, but it's also causing people to be surprised when their activity is showing up."
Source: Buzzfeed News
Sunday, October 6, 2019 at 6:23PM 
You may or may not know that Instagram has what's called a Nametag feature. And it looks like the company wants to add QR codes to it. App researcher Jane Manchun Wong discovered the change. Right now, Nametag is used within the Instagram app to allow other users to scan it so they can follow you. It shows your username and the Instagram logo within the white square. The background is customizable. While Wong was going through the app, she found the QR code option, which looks a bit more unique than usual QR codes we see with simplified Instagram logos thrown into the mix. But it seems this feature works with standard QR scanners. That means you can take your Nametag outside of Instagram and share it with whomever you want. As for whether this feature rolls out to all users, well, that's something we can't say right now.
Thursday, September 19, 2019 at 2:27PM Instagram wants to protect teens from some of the damaging effects of the social internet and the impact of promoting diet products to younger people. The company is clamping down on "get thin quick" weight loss and cosmetic surgery posts. Some of the posts will be hidden from those under 18, while others promoting "miraculous" weight loss products will be taken out. This change will also be coming to Instagram's parent company, Facebook.
According to Emma Collins, Instagram's public policy manager, "We want Instagram to be a positive place for everyone that uses it and this policy is part of our ongoing work to reduce the pressure that people can sometimes feel as a result of social media." She said they sought advice from experts in the field of social media policy.
Source: BBC
