Instagram tests music for photo carousels

Image: Mega

You might have seen this around your Instagram feed already. But, in case you missed it, Meta is testing out the option to add songs to your photo carousels. CEO Mark Zuckerberg mentioned on his Instagram broadcast channel that the feature is live in a "few countries with more to come." 

Instagram already lets users add songs to individual photos. But it makes more sense to do this on a photo carousel. We hope this gets a wider release soon.

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Instagram lets you add 5 links to your profile

Image: Meta

Instagram wants you to stop using services like Linktree by letting you add five links to your profile. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledges in his announcement that it's "probably one of the most requested features we’ve had." This feature should be available to all users. And you can add links to your profile by simply tapping on the "Edit profile" button. When the feature makes it your way, the app should even prompt you to add multiple links.

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Instagram brings Gifts monetization to Canada

Canada is one of the six countries to get Instagram's Gifts monetization feature for creators. It joins Australia, France, Mexico, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Instagram started testing out Gifts last year. It allows fans offer their favourite creators direct monetary support via themed virtual gifts. The gifts bought in the app use the virtual currency Stars and cost anywhere from 10 Stars to several hundred Stars.

Creators will now also get to see which fans sent gifts. When creators tap on a new heart icon next to their supporters, the user will receive a notification that the creator saw and recognized their gifts.

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Instagram makes its Reels editor easier to use

Image: Meta

Instagram Reels isn't known for having an easy-to-use editing tool. So, the latest update from the Meta-owned company is welcome. The Reels feature gets a new editor available worldwide on iOS and Android. You can pull together video clips, audio, stickers, and text into a more streamlined interface. There are also more editing tools coming with the hope of chipping away at TikTok's dominance. 

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