EU privacy rules may force Meta to offer subscription options for its apps

Meta might charge European Instagram users US$14 (around CA$19) per month to avoid targeted ads. It could also offer a US$17 (~CA$23) monthly fee for ad-free Facebook and Instagram on desktop. Meta reportedly plans to force subscriptions on users who reject ad tracking, based on their personal data. This is in response to a court ruling that Facebook must get users’ consent to access their data.

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Instagram adds new features to Reels templates for more customization and discovery

Image: Instagram

Instagram is rolling out new features for Reels. Meta is rolling out templates, allowing users to create their own videos based on others' formats. The Reels templates allow users to fill in a predefined formats with their photos and videos. For instance, a template could consist of five clips, each 0.7 seconds long, with a specific song playing in the background. 

This makes it easy for users to join viral trends without spending much time editing. But it also means more content will look quite similar, with only minor variations.

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Instagram's 'Quiet mode' comes to Facebook

Image: Meta

Meta is introducing new features to help users manage their time and well-being on its apps, especially for teens. One is the "Quiet mode," which lets users mute notifications and auto-reply to messages that they are taking a break. This feature, which was first available on Instagram, will now be extended to Facebook. Users will also get a reminder to take a break after 20 minutes of using the app.

Another feature is a nudge for teens who watch Reels late at night to close the app and sleep. Meta said these nudges are designed to promote healthy habits and balance online and offline activities. Teens can choose to ignore these nudges or opt out of parental supervision altogether.

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Meta helps teens block unwanted messages on Messenger and Instagram

Image: Meta

Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has announced a new feature that will help users protect themselves from unwanted messages from strangers on its messaging platforms, Messenger and Instagram. The feature will require people who are not connected with a user to send a text-only invitation to chat, and they can only send one at a time. Users won’t be able to send another one until the recipient accepts or declines.

The feature aims to prevent harassment and abuse from unknown people, especially adults who may target teens. The invitations are also limited to text only, so users won’t receive unsolicited photos, videos, voice messages, or calls from strangers. Meta said the feature will give its teen users more control over who can contact them and what they can see. This joins the new parental supervision hub Meta introduced for its platforms.

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