It’s the ultimate illusion of authenticity. A creator in their car, warm smile, relaxed pitch. Totally genuine. The voice is hers. The subtle nods and hand gestures are hers. Even the pitch is hers. The only thing that isn't is the face.

Welcome to the era of digital body-snatching, a fast-growing, lucrative corner of the internet where anyone with access to AI tools can hijack another person's physical presence.

Why swap a face onto someone else’s video? The motives blur together. It could be for clicks, affiliate payouts, or engagement inflation. But while the endgame varies, the blueprint is unmistakable: taking a creator's likeness without their consent.

I spoke with Paige Davis, a creator who recently found her content stolen and reposted, to understand how this theft works — and why the platforms building these AI tools are leaving victims on their own.

"What the hell is this?"

Paige learned her identity had been reskinned when a friend and a follower messaged her an AI video using her voice, body, outfit, and background.

"I clicked on the video and thought, what the hell is this?" she recalls. "I’d never seen such accurate AI and it’s infinitely more jarring when it’s you. That’s my outfit, my voice, my seatbelt. Literally all she did was change the face."

The economics driving these videos are simple. Trust is expensive to build, but cheap to clone. Instead of generating a completely synthetic human from scratch, it is far more effective to steal authentic human charisma.

Tools like SyncLabs and Wav2Lip take stolen audio and overlay it onto target video, automatically re-syncing the mouth movements frame by frame.

When Paige rallied thousands of her followers to report the viral stolen clip, she hit an automated moderation wall. "I had thousands of people report it, and within 48 hours every single person got denied," she explains. "Every single person received the same notification back saying this AI girl does not go against community standards."

Days later, the video was briefly removed, only to reappear 48 hours later. "I was celebrating, telling everybody the video got taken down," Paige says. "And then two days later, every single person got the same notification saying it's back up."

It was only after submitting a manual Intellectual Property claim, a 20-minute form requiring government-issued identification, video timestamps, and formal legal language, that the content was scrubbed.

For creators without massive followings or legal literacy, the process is practically insurmountable.

Algorithms don't care about ethics

There is a stark double standard at play. On one front, tech giants rely on default opt-ins that treat user identities as raw material. Meta's rollout of Muse Image is a prime example.

If given the chance to sit down directly with product managers and executives pushing these default tools, Paige knows what she would ask:

"How did you think this feature was a good idea? What were the pros that you envisioned? Because if they can tell me some pros, maybe we could have a conversation. But I really don't see an upside to it."

When discussing Meta's opt-in rollout, Paige draws an instant parallel to one of Big Tech's most infamous missteps. "It reminds me of when Apple put that U2 album on everyone's iPod."

Tech companies are once again assuming ownership of personal assets by default. Except this time, instead of an unrequested rock album, they're taking your face.

On another front, when lawmakers try to construct actual safety nets, AI companies sue to tear them down. Case in point: xAI suing to strike down state bans on unauthorized deepfakes.

By claiming platform liability infringes on protected speech, xAI exposes the industry's broader playbook: shift the entire burden of defense onto victims while claiming total immunity for the tools enabling the theft.

Beyond the creator economy

While full-time creators have built dedicated followings, the underlying tech poses an even more insidious threat to everyday internet users.

"Millions of people are on Instagram as professional content creators... it's my job now," Paige says. "They are not protecting those people who are using their platform for what it's meant for."

When identity theft is reduced to a few clicks, the targets expand well beyond influencers. "That's what's scary and frustrating about normal people who aren't content creators," Paige points out. "They don't have the larger platform, they don't have the followers to help them get stuff taken down."

"These lengths that are being taken to use AI in people's likenesses and images is incredibly dangerous," Paige warns. "It has major consequences with people's jobs, people's lives."

Platforms like Meta and Tiktok might be in no rush to fix a scam that keeps people engaging, and the synthetic version of you will never get tired. But code can't fake accountability forever. Every time we have these conversations, we make the digital skin-walker harder to sell. We might not control the algorithm, but we still control the truth.

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Thousands of users flocked to Downdetector today, reporting problems with the popular social media platform Instagram. When the outage first started, we saw a massive spike in reports, with more than 2,000, which is significant so early in the downtime.

Reports reached a high of around 4,000 today. As far as we can tell, Meta never acknowledged the outage on its status page. Though it appears that the issue with Instagram mostly extended to DMs, which weren't going through.

The outage lasted around 2 hours starting at 6:30 am specific.

The reports are rolling in

We're seeing a massive spike in Instagram reports on Downdetector, with more than 2,500 people jumping to the outage-reporting website to say something is wrong with the beloved social network.

We're also seeing smaller spikes to other Meta-owned social networks, with Messenger sitting at around 500 reports and Facebook at 300.

Meta across the board

It's all Meta at the top of Downdetector, but it's a bit deceiving, as Instagram is the only one with more than 1,000 reports. The other Meta services are worth monitoring, but they're lower.

DMs appear the be the problem

Based on the comments section on Downdetector, it seems that Instagram DMs are the main issue, which could explain why we're also seeing a spike in reports to Messenger. If you're struggling to send Direct Messages on Instagram, know you're not alone, as it seems to be a fairly widespread issue.

More than 3,000 reports

Instagram has gone past 3,000 reports for the first time since the outage began. Clearly, more users are logging in to find that they can't send direct messages, leaving them disappointed and forced to jump on Downdetector to tell the world.

Hopefully, this is just a quick outage that Meta resolves ASAP, but we'll keep you posted as it develops.

Messenger still climbing

While the predominant user reports seem to be about Instagram direct messages, we're also seeing Meta's main Messenger app spike, surpassing 1,000 reports.

'No Known Issues'

Over on Meta's status page, everything is still showing as "No Known Issues." While it's clear that something is wrong based on the raw number of reports, for whatever reason, Meta isn't publicly saying anything.

We've reached out to the social network and will update if we hear back.

Leveling off

For the first time, Downdetector reports on Instagram have updated without a sizable increase. Instead, it went up by less than 100, creating the first leveling of we've seen since the outage started.

My experience

I've been playing with Instagram DMs on and off between posts, and it seems to still be having problems. When I send a message, it doesn't seem to actually get delivered to the recipient; instead, it sits in the thread unsent. Additionally, when I scroll up in a thread, I'm seeing an unable to load older messages error.

While some people are saying it's working again, I'm definitely not among those folks, as I'm still having problems. Clearly, Instagram isn't fully operational yet.

Finally, a big drop

For the first time since the outage began, we're finally seeing a big drop in reports, with Instagram falling to 2,600. This is more than 1,000 reports below the peak, which is a good sign that things are coming back to normal.

For what it's worth, I was able to send a direct message and receive a response on Instagram, so the trouble seems to be resolved for me.

Reports are in a steady decline

Since I last looked at Down Detector, reports have steadily declined dropping from around 3200 to now just under 400.

We're probably in the clear as the issues resolve but I'll keep an eye on things just a bit longer in case it flares up again.

Calling it

With reports well under 250, we're calling this outage. It doesn't appear that things will flare up again.

Meta just launched "Muse Image", a new generative AI model built by Meta Superintelligence Labs, with a troubling default setting: adult public Instagram profiles are automatically opted in to have their photos used in AI-generated images.

Anyone can tag your username with an @-mention in a prompt, and Meta AI will remix your public photos into whatever image they're creating. You won't be notified when this happens. The generated images won't be deleted even if you change your settings later.

While Meta has blocked the tool from automatically targeting users under 18 or those with private profiles, every adult with a public account has been drafted by default. Here's how to protect your account.

Why this is problematic

Meta's approach flips the standard permission model on its head. Instead of asking permission to use your content for AI training and generation, it's made it opt-out by default. Your content is being used unless you actively say no, meaning s anyone scrolling Instagram can turn your photos into whatever image they imagine without your knowledge or consent.

The lack of notification is particularly concerning. You have no way of knowing your content has been used, no opportunity to object before generation happens, and no recourse if you don't like how your likeness appears in AI images. So it's worth taking minutes to disable this, and I wouldn't wait to do so.

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Facebook users started seeing more problems today, June 18, less than a week after users were unable to log into the social network.

Reports started to spike on DownDetector at 6:30 am ET / 11:20 am BST with over 1,000 users reporting problems. According to the reports, 80% of affected users claimed there was an issue the Facebook app loading.

Earlier this week, Facebook's parent company Meta experienced issues for around four hours that also impacted other services like Instagram and WhatsApp. Today's problems lasted little more than a couple of hours and seemed to affect primarily Android users. It could have been due to an update to Facebook's Android app that was released yesterday.

Here's how our coverage of the reports unfolded:

Full recap

Reports surge past 1,000 on DownDetector

Our clearest picture that there's some trouble at Facebook comes from the website DownDetector, which has suddenly shown a spike of over 1,000 users reporting trouble with the social network. Less than a week ago, similar problems hit Facebook for over four hours.

New York, Chicago and Dallas

Most of the reports of Facebook's troubles on DownDetector appear to be coming from three main cities: New York, Chicago and Dallas. If you're based in one of those regions and are having trouble accessing your Facebook profile right now — let us know!

Meta isn't reporting anything, yet

Meta doesn't have a status page for its consumer products, so we can't see if there's anything officially amiss, but it does run an equivalent for its business products. As we can see at the time of writing, there are no reported problems there.

So, if people are experiencing issues this morning, it may be a more localized problem and one that hasn't touched Meta's central nervous system yet. We'll keep circling back to this page and let you know if there are any updates.

Instagram and WhatsApp unaffected

While we're seeing reports spike across Facebook, there seemingly aren't any issues with Meta's other services at present. Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Threads all appear to be working normally.

Facebook failing to load?

When issues started to occur for Facebook earlier in the week, users trying to access the app were bumped right out to the login screen of the app. This affected the app both on Android and iOS.

I'm based in London in the U.K. and — for me at least — the app appears to be working as normal. If you're seeing something different, let me know in the comments.

Reports are starting to slip

This could be little more than a blip for just a few folks. The reports on DownDetector — while still north of 1,000 — are starting to slip. Sometimes this can indicate the issues were only very temporary.

They could be a result of a small update or configuration change that's been pushed through by Meta that's caused a hiccup in servers along the network.

It could be an Android issue

Android users may be feeling today's Facebook problems more than iPhone users. One commentator on DownDetector says that the issue is persisting on their Samsung Galaxy Note 20.

If that's the case then it could be that the problems being reported today are specific to one particular app version rather than anything more widespread.

Reports falling, but users report problems on X

Reports are continuing to decrease sharply on DownDetector right now — falling down to below 800. Usually, if there are prolonged issues we would expect to see another small spike occurring right now but that hasn't happened.

Users are still reporting problems with the service over on X/Twitter. But this looks very much like it could just be a flash in the pan.

Are you having problems with Facebook this morning?

A problem we're seeing reported is that users are able to log into the Facebook mobile app for a few seconds before it then bounces them back out again to the login screen.

It seems like reports are starting to subside, so this might not be an ongoing problem but if you're experiencing an outage on Facebook today, let us know in the poll below. We'll continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds.

How to clear your Facebook cache

If these recent problems with Facebook have got you concerned about how the app is running, one thing you can do to juice up the performance is clear your cache.

Providing you can access Facebook's app, you'll need to tap Menu > Settings & Privacy > Settings. Then, under the Preferences section, tap Browser, then select Clear next to Cookies and Cache.

Less than 500 DownDetector users now reporting problems

Reports on DownDetector have now sunk to below 500 reports and there's been no official statement from Meta on any problems with its app.

A quick glance at the Play Store shows the Facebook Android app was given an update yesterday, June 17, so it's highly likely that it has caused some teething problems with Android users. Especially if those users own older devices. For the vast majority of Facebook users, it appears that the social network is operating as normal today.

Calling time on today's outage

We can call time on today's outage as reports have dwindled to under 100 on DownDetector, and the comments on social media have dried up. Unlike the outage earlier in the week, this one was just a blip. We can all rest comfortably now that Facebook is back up and running — thanks for reading along, everyone.

Starting around 9:30 am ET, multiple Meta services suddenly stopped working, including Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. From what we can tell, WhatsApp, also owned by Meta, was not affected.

Initially, it was hard to track since the outage tracking site Downdetector appeared to be having issues as well. However, that resolved soon enough and we were able to see reports hit highs of 110,000 for Facebook, 15,000 for Messenger, and 10,000 for Instagram.

In total, the outage lasted for about four hours, though some services came back quicker than others. The Facebook and Messenger outage only lasted for an hour.

Instagram unfortunately took longer to resolve.

Meta doesn't have a specific status page for the three services, but there is one for the developers and business accounts. We were able to see "High Disruptions" in several parts, including Ads Manager. "We are aware of an issue that may be impacting ad delivery. Our engineering teams are aware and are actively looking to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," read the page.

Outside of the page, only Andy Stone, Meta's VP of Communications, made any kind of statement when he tweeted, "We're aware people are currently having trouble accessing our services. We're working on it." That was at 10 am ET. An hour later, he tweeted, "We're coming back, though it may take a bit of time for everything to be fully back to normal."

Otherwise, the company did not release a statement, and eventually things returned to normal around 1 pm Eastern.

Facebook, Instagram and Messenger are down — live outage updates

What's happening at Meta?

Meta services aren't working for many members of the Tom's Guide staff and we saw a spike in reports on Downdetector before the website stopped worked, so we're quite confident that something is off.

Meta acknowledges the issues

Facebook Ads manager is showing "High disruptions" as the status right now, which is a clean indication that something isn't right with the social network.

"We are aware of an issue that may be impacting ad delivery. Our engineering teams are aware and are actively looking to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," reads the Meta outage page.

Downdetector working?

It looks like Downdetector is back, which will make it a lot easier to keep track of this massive Meta outage.

Or is it?

When you click on a service on Downdetector, it's going to a 404 page. So while you can see the massive spikes in reports on the Downdetector homepage, we can't get any actual numbers.

What are users seeing?

Users trying to access Facebook right now aren't seeing much of anything. I just tried to log into my own profile and I was bumped right out to the login screen of the app. I tried to fire up the social network on both an Android phone and an iPhone and neither would load.

Are you having the same trouble? Let me know about it in the comments box below.

Meta's Status page is listing two incidents

When service outages like this happen, one of the best places to look for updates is the provider's own status check page. Unfortunately, Meta (which owns Instagram) doesn't have one for its consumer products.

However, there is a status page for its business tools, which does tell us the company is facing two incidents right now. Both Facebook Ads Manager and WhatsApp Business Platform are listed as facing "High Disruptions" while the rest of the company's services are apparently unaffected.

It's kind of working for me?

Sometimes, I can get Facebook and Instagram to load on my laptop and sometimes it just gives me a big Facebook and Instagram logo on a white page. There doesn't seem to be much predictability about it — sometimes I refresh and doesn't work and sometimes it does.

Hit the comments on this post and share your experiences with Meta services like Facebook, Instagram and Messenger and let us know what you're seeing and we might feature your comment in this live blog!

Now showing issues with all parts of Ads

Before, the Meta status page was only showing issues with serving ads, but now it's showing all three categories as having issues: Ads Creation and Editing, Ads Reporting and Ads Delivery all appear to be having problems, which is likely affecting Facebook and other platforms.

More Meta status issues popping up

Taking another dive into the Meta status page shows that more issues are popping up, now with Messenger. The Messenger API for Instagram and Messenger Platform are being reported as having "High Disruptions," which is obvious to anyone trying to use either service.

Still, it's nice to know that Meta is aware of the situation, though it hasn't offered a timeline for when we can expect things to be fixed.

Downdetector showing almost no reports

Downdetector is showing a giant drop in reports and then a small increase. Presumably, this is because no one could access Downdetector to report issues, but we'll keep monitoring to see if that's the case or if the outage is actually coming to a close.

Personally, I think it's the former, as Meta's status page is still showing everything being down, but we'll see.

Higher than they look

The visual graph is actually deceiving, as it looks like there are few reports at first glance. However, that's only because the peak was more than 100,000. Even with the dramatic decline, it's still at more than 12,000 reports.

Ad delivery fixed

Meta has apparently fixed Ad Delivery on its platforms. "We have recovered from an earlier outage impacting ad delivery across our platform, and services have now been restored. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused," reads the status page.

'I can't access my profile'

According to a user on Downdetector, profile access is limited. "I can't access my profile, and I get an error "Unable to load" or something similar. I've tried both on mobile and PC, and I've also tried using the browser on my phone and computer. I still get the same error message," said user Brian Reid.

Instagram declining less

While the number of reports on Instagram didn't come anywhere close to the Facebook numbers, it didn't drop as much, either. It's currently still at more than 5,000 Downdetector reports.

Meta Business Suite joins the problem

Well, it looks like Meta Business Suite is the latest service to find itself on the Meta Status page. "We are aware that some people may be having trouble with messages in Inbox in Meta Business Suite. Our team is actively working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," reads Meta's status page.

Like the other outages, Meta is working to resolve it, but there's no indication of how long it'll be down for.

Downdetector reports lower than they've been

Despite Downdetector working again for a little while, the reports are still trending downward, dropping by just over 4,000 as of this post.

Marketing and Graph API join

Marketing API and Graph API are now on the Meta Status page, showing as having "Medium Disruptions."

"We are recovering from an earlier outage impacting editing and creation for Marketing API, and services are in the process of being restored. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused," says the status page.

Instagram is the highest

Currently, Instagram is the highest in terms of raw reports at 4,860. Facebook has dropped to around 2,400 and is down to just over 600.

"May take a bit of time" to get back to normal

Meta's Andy Stone said that everything is coming back about an hour ago.

"We're coming back, though it may take a bit of time for everything to be fully back to normal," Stone posted.

That does appear correct, as Facebook seems to have recovered. However, Instagram still seems to be having issues.

Reports take a steep dive

Starting around 9:00 am PT, reports on Down Detector started to decline but in the last 15 or minutes or so they've taken a steep dive.

As of this posting, I'm seeing 1500 reports, down from the steadier 5,000 earlier and the peak of 10,000 reports around 7:00 am PT.

Resolving issues

Meta doesn't really have a status page for Instagram or Facebook that we can use to get updates on what's happening with the social platforms.

However, the company does have a business status page for advertisers and developers that we can use to infer how things are going.

For example, previously, Facebook Ads was showing High Disruptions, but now it reads resolved.

That said, the developer platform is showing more issues but seems to be affecting more background APIs and business accounts.

Meta has remained mostly quiet

Beyond the two tweets from Meta's Andy Stone, the company has largely remained quiet about the outage.

And since Stone said the company was working on it he has also gone silent.

Fortunately, I suppose, it appears things are getting to normal.

Meta outage appears to be over

With reports finally under 500 reports for the first time today, it finally appears that the Instagram and Facebook outages are have pretty much resolved.

The Meta developer status page is basically green across the board.

Anecdotally, I've been able to access Instagram and Facebook fairly consistently for the last 15 minutes or so.

I will keep an eye on things for a little bit longer, but I am going to call it for now.

Instagram's new optional subscription plan is rolling out today, starting at $3.99 a month. Instagram Plus comes with "exclusive" features, which the social media platform says are for people who want "more control, deeper insights, and premium features."

In a blog post, Instagram announced that its Plus plan will be available globally.

The subscription plan is part of a trio of new paid offerings that include Facebook Plus and WhatsApp Plus. Instagram's Adam Mosseri posted a video saying you can sign up for it via your profile right now. He promised that the free version of the app will not change.

The plan gives you 11 new features. Here's what they are and how they work:

Sharing

For sharing, Plus gives your stories a higher priority to your friends. It also adds "Super Hearts," which are vibrant, animated hearts to cheer on your friends' stories.

You can make different Story audiences, meaning that you can share specific stories with specific groups of people. This is in addition to lists like the "close friends" tag that already exists.

Finally, you can extend your stories to last 48 hours and not just 24.

Insights

For those who care about the data, Plus gives you some very specific analytics. You can preview Stories without the need to react. You'll also be able to see how many times your stories were rewatched.

And if you need to, you can search through the list of people who viewed your stories.

Customization

With Plus, you can get a custom app icon from a curated selection designed by Instagram and some Instagram creators. Plus lets you customize the font in your profile bio.

On your profile, you can pin up to six posts, double the current amount for free accounts. Finally, you can post directly to your profile or highlights without them appearing in your friends' feeds if that's something you want.

Instagram says that all of these features are available at launch and promises that more features will come to Plus in the coming months.

Will you sign up for Instagram Plus? Let us know in the comments.

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Meta has blessed us with another feature nobody requested: Instagram Instants. Just when you thought your DMs were chaotic enough, Instagram now lets people send you disappearing photos that vanish after you view them, cluttering your inbox with a persistent notification stack.

This is the same company that gave us Threads (their Twitter alternative), Reels (their TikTok answer), and Stories (inspired by Snapchat). Now it's created Instants, because apparently there weren't enough ways to share photos yet.

The feature launched last week and immediately started appearing in users' DMs whether they wanted it or not. If you're already annoyed by it, here's what to do next.

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Instagram just added another way to share photos, and this one feels different. No filters, no editing, no carefully curated aesthetic. Just open the camera, snap what's in front of you, and send it to close friends or mutuals. They view it once, then it's gone.

Instants live in your DMs rather than your main feed or Stories. They're designed for the moments you'd text a photo to a friend but don't want permanently attached to your profile. Think of it as Instagram's answer to Snapchat or BeReal, but built directly into the app you're already using.

The feature sits tucked in the bottom corner of your inbox where most people haven't noticed it yet. Here's what Instants actually are and how to use them.

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Instagram users across the platform received unexpected password reset emails over the weekend, triggering widespread alarm about a potential security breach. The unsolicited requests arrived in inboxes without warning, and according to Malwarebytes, 17.5 million users are affected.

Social media exploded with speculation that Instagram had been hacked, with users questioning whether their accounts and personal information had been compromised. Instagram has since responded to the concerns, clarifying that no data breach occurred and that the issue has been resolved.

The company confirmed an "external party" triggered the password reset requests but maintained its systems were never breached and accounts remain secure. Questions still remain, however, about how email addresses were used to generate these requests and what users should do to protect themselves.

Here's what happened, what Instagram is saying, and how to secure your account regardless of whether you received the suspicious emails.

Avoid clicking on this email

If you received a password reset email like this one, don't click any links or buttons inside it, even if it looks legitimate.

These emails can lead to phishing sites designed to steal your login credentials. Attackers create fake Instagram login pages that look identical to the real thing, and once you enter your password on these fake sites, they immediately capture it.

Even if the email came from Instagram legitimately during this incident, clicking links in unsolicited emails trains you to trust unexpected communications, making you more vulnerable to future phishing attempts.

What Instagram says happened

Instagram posted on X stating that it "fixed an issue that let an external party request password reset emails for some people." The company emphasized that "there was no breach of our systems and your Instagram accounts are secure," advising users to simply ignore the emails.

However, Instagram didn't explain how an external party managed to trigger password reset requests without accessing Instagram's systems.

Some outlets, such as CyberInsider, have suggested the incident may be connected to a 2024 Instagram API breach that leaked data from over 17 million users — including usernames, phone numbers, and email addresses.

If this leaked data was used to trigger password resets, it would explain how an external party could initiate requests without directly hacking Instagram. Instagram hasn't confirmed or denied this connection.

How to change your Instagram password

Regardless of whether this incident directly affected you, changing your Instagram password is smart security practice, especially if you haven't updated it recently.

Don't click any links in password reset emails — instead, change your password directly through the Instagram app by following the steps below.

Set up two-factor authentication immediately

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is the most important security measure you can enable. With 2FA active, no one can access your account with just your password — they'll also need an authentication code.

Go to Settings and activity, Accounts Center, Password and security, and Two-factor authentication. Then simply select your Instagram username and choose your authentication method.

Authenticator apps (like Google Authenticator or Authy) are more secure than SMS since phone numbers can be hijacked, but SMS is better than nothing. Once enabled, anyone logging in from an unrecognized device will need both your password and the authentication code.

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For years, social media has been treated as non-negotiable — especially for Gen Z. But a new survey suggests that may no longer be true.

According to a recent study conducted by AI Resume Builder, nearly one in four Gen Z adults say they’d rather give up social media like TikTok and Instagram than lose access to ChatGPT or similar AI tools. Even more striking: 9 in 10 respondents say they can’t imagine life without conversational AI.

It’s a surprising data point that highlights just how quickly tools like ChatGPT have shifted from novelty to necessity.

Gen Z is using ChatGPT daily — and often

The survey, which polled more than 1,200 Gen Z adults, found that AI tools are now embedded into everyday routines with 40% of respondents saying they use ChatGPT daily. Many reported using it multiple times per day.

AI is commonly used for writing, studying, brainstorming, job prep and problem-solving. In contrast to social media — which is often framed as entertainment or escapism — respondents described AI tools as useful, efficient and productivity-driven.

That distinction may help explain why some are willing to ditch platforms like Instagram or TikTok before giving up their AI assistant.

AI is becoming a utility, not a trend

The findings point to a broader shift in how younger users view technology. Rather than seeing AI as a replacement for creativity or human connection, many Gen Z users treat it as a digital utility, similar to search engines or messaging apps.

In other words, ChatGPT is becoming infrastructure, which aligns with what we’re seeing across the tech industry. AI tools are now deeply integrated into browsers, phones, operating systems and productivity software, making them harder to separate from daily digital life.

Bottom line

To be clear, this doesn’t mean Gen Z is abandoning social media. But it does show that what is changing is priority.

Social media may still dominate screen time, but AI is increasingly seen as the tool people rely on when something actually needs to get done. As AI tools become faster, more conversational and more deeply embedded across devices, that reliance is likely to grow — especially among digital-native users who are comfortable collaborating with machines.

The takeaway isn’t that ChatGPT has “replaced” social media. It’s that AI has crossed an important threshold: for a growing number of people, life without it now feels impractical.

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Instagram helped define the look of social media: aesthetic feeds, filtered selfies and perfectly curated grid posts. But according to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, that era is over — and AI is to blame. Could social media be becoming too fake?

In a year-end essay, Mosseri posted on Threads that AI-generated content has shattered the visual trust that once powered the platform. When images can be generated in seconds, a perfectly lit photo no longer proves that something happened. In fact, he says, it now sparks "suspicion."

Interesting sentiment considering Meta AI, Instagram's parent company, just purchased Manus AI.

It's clear that the most trustworthy content has shifted to what looks the least produced — blurry candid photos, random DMs and anything that feels too messy to fake. But as we begin 2026, AI is only becoming more integrated across the web.

Gen Z has already moved on from the grid

Mosseri points out that most users under 25 no longer care about posting to their public grid. Instead, they’re sharing “unflattering candids” in private group chats or disappearing stories — a quiet rebellion against algorithm-chasing perfection.

That shift isn't just about preference, it actually reflects a deeper behavioral change: people don’t trust how things look anymore — they trust who’s posting them.

If a photo is too smooth, too symmetrical or too sharp, younger users assume it's AI. Visual perfection now reads like a red flag. The shift to immediately assuming the post was created using AI might be the theme of 2026.

Considering the source

The irony of Instagram’s authenticity crisis is that social media was the birthplace of filters. It's almost poetic how the platform is now calling time on the aesthetic era it helped create. But Mosseri’s take feels accurate, essentially stating that we’ve hit peak polish, and it no longer feels personal.

AI-generated influencers, product shots and aspirational scenes dominate the feed. The things that once signaled effort now signal automation. And the only thing that still feels undeniably human? A blurry, badly lit photo your friend sent in a group chat.

Rather than trying to verify every individual image, Mosseri says the platform is now focused on verifying people as the shift is moving from "is this real?" to "who shared this?"

For this reason, Instagram plans to:

• Label AI-generated content more clearly
• Show more context about accounts
• Build new tools to help human creators stay competitive in a synthetic media flood

Bottom line

In one of his more forward-looking ideas, Mosseri suggested that camera manufacturers should cryptographically sign images at capture, embedding proof that they were taken by a real device, at a real time, in a real place.

This kind of hardware-level authenticity would mark a major change — moving beyond detecting fakes after the fact to preventing doubt before it begins. Google's Nano Banana Pro can detect AI images, and even if you upload an image to ChatGPT, it can determine the qualities of AI within an image.

It's a clear signal that even platform leaders don’t believe content moderation alone can keep up with AI. In 2026, the mess might be the message.

More from Tom's Guide

• This single follow-up prompt made every AI answer better — here’s how
• Writing a novel in 2026? Here’s why ChatGPT alone won’t get you to the finish line
• I use ChatGPT to track Amazon price drops, and now I never miss a deal — here's how

Instagram was down, as thousands of users are reporting a service outage on Down Detector.

At around 12:08pm ET / 5:08pm GMT, users started reporting issues with the app and website. After our own testing and seeing other user outage reports, it seems that the desktop website was the only service affected.

But now, the service is back up and running correctly. Here are the updates as it happened.

LIVE UPDATES

That's a big outage spike

If you're experiencing issues with Instagram, you're not the only one. At the time of writing, 2,689 users have reported an outage is happening.

We're currently looking through user reports and comments, while testing Instagram for ourselves to see what's going wrong.

So far, we're seeing some weirdness on the desktop version of Instagram.

This looks like it's desktop-focused

We're seeing more users sharing their experiences, which are similar to my own testing. It looks the feed is not loading on desktop, but on the smartphone app, it seems to be fine.

May have just been a blip?

Whatever these service issues are with Instagram on desktop, it looks as if a fix may have been implemented, as the spike is quickly tapering off at just over 1,000 user reports.

The outage looks to be over

Well, that was quick! The desktop site for Instagram is working for us again, and the number of user outage reports has dropped down to 234 at the time of writing — much closer to the expected average.

VPN usage dramatically increased in Nepal following a government imposed social media ban.

Proton VPN, one of the best VPNs, reported a sign-up increase of 8,000% over the baseline. This came as the Nepalese government blocked access to 26 social media apps.

Reports indicated Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and X all went offline, with the shutdown first occurring on Thursday, September 4.

The move sparked huge mass protests in Nepal's capital Kathmandu, mostly made up of young people. As of September 9, 21 protesters had been killed and hundreds injured.

Following the Prime Minister's resignation, it appears as though the social media ban has now been lifted – but anger, and the troubling rise of internet restriction, remains.

Cracking down on misuse

Social media apps were blocked after failing to register with the authorities. Nepal's government cited misuse as their reasons for the ban.

As reported by Reuters, the government said false social media accounts were "spreading hatred and rumors, committing cyber crime, and disturbing social harmony." Tackling hate speech, online fraud, and fake news were also given as reasons.

Internet usage in Nepal is high, with around 90% of the population having access.

Social media companies were required to register with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, as well as naming a "local contact, grievance handler, and person responsible for self-regulation."

Those who didn't comply would be shut down, and on Thursday, September 4, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) regulator received a government order to deactivate unregistered social media apps.

TikTok and Viber are two apps said to have registered, whereas Facebook, Instagram, X, and WhatsApp were not. Nepal's government believed companies were given enough time to register.

Mass protests erupted following the ban, as demonstrators expressed their anger at the social media crackdown and perceived government corruption. Various government buildings, including parliament, have been targeted in Kathmandu and Nepal's Prime Minister, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, resigned on Tuesday, September 9.

Amid the protests, VPN sign-ups have rocketed. Proton VPN, via the Proton VPN Observatory, recorded usage initially rising to 500% over the baseline, before accelerating to 6,000% in just three days.

At the time of writing, the figure is 8,000% over the baseline. But it is unclear whether this number will drop or remain high in the wake of the ban's lifting.

Proton VPN has a host of dedicated anti-censorship features, including its free VPN offering Proton VPN Free. Other features include Guest Mode, discreet app icons, and its Stealth protocol – which provides VPN obfuscation.

In a tweet describing its VPN spike, Proton VPN warned those affected by government censorship to "stay away" from VPNs with potential links to China. These VPNs can be dangerous and Proton VPN warned "they only serve to harvest your data."

Tom's Guide reported on research by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) back in April 2025, listing 20 VPNs that posed a risk to your data. These apps were found on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and some were still there in June 2025, two months after being discovered.

Further investigations into these apps found that many were connected. 18 apps were found to share data and even security flaws. Code, IP addresses, VPN protocols, and ownership were some examples of similarities.

Whether it's a paid VPN or a free VPN, your chosen provider needs to be reputable and secure. This is even more important with free VPNs, as harvesting and selling your data is what can make these providers money.

Only the best free VPNs – including Proton VPN Free – are genuinely safe free VPNs and almost all other providers should be avoided.

Nepal's history of internet restrictions

This is not the first case of online restrictions in Nepal. In 2023 a directive required social media companies to register and establish a local presence – it appears as these rules have been the catalyst for this month's bans.

According to Al-Jazeera, Telegram was blocked in July, with the government citing a rise in online fraud and money laundering.

A ban on TikTok was lifted after nine months in August 2024 after the company agreed to comply with the government's regulations.

Despite the ban seemingly being lifted, Nepal's actions are another troubling example of the increased tightening of online freedoms for millions around the world. In recent months, we have seen incidents in Pakistan, Russia, Myanmar, mainland Europe, and even the UK.

24 cases of internet restrictions occurred in the first six months of 2025 and there are no signs of this slowing down.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Fifteen years after Instagram launched for iPhones, the Meta-owned social media platform has finally released a native app for iPads. Incidentally, both the original iPad and the first Instagram app were released in 2010.

Instagram officially announced the arrival of the app in a blog post, revealing how the new app would work. If you want to try it for yourself, the app is available to all users on the App Store now.

For those on Android, you may be familiar with the layout of the iPad version of Instagram. Instagram released a big-screen optimized version of Instagram for Android in 2023 alongside the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. It could also be used for other Android tablets.

How Instagram for iPad works

At a base level, the new app includes all the features you expect: your feed, stories, and the explore page.

The big difference is the emphasis on Reels.

"With Instagram for iPad, we’ve redesigned the experience to reflect how people use bigger screens today – for lean back entertainment," the announcement post reads. "Now, when you open the app, you’ll drop into Reels, so you can get the entertaining content you love on a bigger screen. You’ll also see Stories at the top, so you can easily connect with the people that matter to you, and messaging is one tap away."

Additionally, there's a new "Following" tab that lets you switch between different feeds.

• All: Recommended posts and reels from accounts you follow
• Friends: Recommended post and reels from accounts you follow, that follow you back
• Latest: Chronological posts and reels from accounts you follow, with the most recent posts appearing first.

Instagram says you can customize the order these feeds appear in so you'll see what's important to you first.

Lastly, the iPad app has a multi-column design so you can read DMs or look at notifications without going away from the feed. It also allows you to open comments without obscuring the Reels.

Instagram says this is so you can navigate with fewer taps, but mostly it seems like a way to keep you glued to the content.

Foldable future?

There have been reports that next year's iOS 27 is being designed with foldable displays in mind. Meta also recently brought WhatsApp to the iPad for the first time.

It seems that this could all be preparation for the arrival of the much-rumored foldable iPhone. That device is reportedly going to launch next fall, and Apple allegedly has huge expectations for its newest smartphone.

Like the aforementioned Galaxy Z Fold 5, a new version of Instagram is needed for a bigger and wider display. Instagram could be testing the waters with its new iPad version.

More from Tom's Guide

• Instagram Blend lets you mix Reels with friends — here's how it works
• Instagram DMs just got better — 5 features worth trying
• Flashes is a brand new Instagram alternative — and it’s basically Bluesky for images

The social media photo-sharing app, Instagram, appeared to go down for some users. starting around 10:15 a.m. P.T. We discovered that we couldn't upload Stories or photos, and notifications seemed to be busted.

Over on the tracking site Down Detector, reports spiked over 800 around 11 a.m.

Neither Instagram nor Meta acknowledged the outage, and it was never clear how widespread the problem actually was or what was causing issues.

We did see comments from other users that notifications weren't showing up properly and that they couldn't edit images.

Now that the service appears to be back up, do give Tom's Guide a follow for all of the latest tech news and what we see on show floors.

Several features unavailable

My colleague Kate Kozuch first noticed that the ability to post was on Instagram was hampered.

Comments on other social sites and Down Detector indicated that DMs and chats weren't working as well.

No comment from Instagram

With reports sitting around 500, we haven't seen any response from Instagram.

There does not appear to be an official Instagram status page and the official accounts on other social media pages haven't posted in years. We'll keep looking to see if we can find any official tracker.

What's the status an hour in?

Usually an outage spikes with tons of reports coming in almost all at once.

It's been a steady climb since we first noticed an issue around 10:15 am.

Currently, things sit around 700 reports.

Meta Business Page all green

I found a Meta status page that is business-focused, and from that page, it appears things are green across the board.

So, if you're trying to post an ad that appears to be working.

Other trackers show no issues

We've checked other tracking sites like isitdown and downforjustme. Those sites show Instagram as operational.

Meanwhile, Down Detector steadily continues ticking up, currently sitting at 800 reports.

We can't post reels or images

On the official Tom's Guide Instagram, we have been unable to post reels, unfortunate,ly as we try to share with you the latest happenings at Gamescom 2025.

When the app starts working properly, be sure to follow us to stay up-to-date on the latest tech news.

Are you experiencing problems?

I notice that reports on Down Detector are starting to decline.

Are you having problems with Instagram? Let us know. You can email me at scott.younker@futurenet.com.

Reports trending down

Over on Down Detector, reports have dropped from a high of 822 to around 200.

It appears to be ending, but we'll keep an eye on things for a little bit longer.

It's over

We finally got our Instagram account working and reports have largely disappeared.

We're calling this one.

We're still not sure what caused the problem. Neither Meta nor Instagram has released any information or acknowledged today's issues.

It's also unclear how widespread hte problem was as reports never broke 1,000 and as mentioned other trackers didn't appear to show any problems.

The internet is absolutely rife with spoilers. It doesn't matter whether you're talking about movies, TV shows, video games or something else entirely — as soon as something new comes out people are out discussing it on social media. And that's a problem for those of you with actual lives, you can't immediately stop everything and catch up.

So it's good to hear that Instagram-centric twitter clone Threads is adding features to keep spoilers out of your feed. It's not the first platform to integrate anti-spoiler tools, but it's still a much-needed feature considering what the internet is like.

Though, to be honest, it's the kind of feature that wouldn't be necessary if people (and brands) could just behave themselves online.

Spoilers are everywhere now

If you actually care about particular shows or franchises, then you're basically forced to stay offline until you're able to catch up. Considering most people have jobs, families and all kinds of other commitments, that doesn't always lend itself to being able to take a trip to the theater on opening night or to watch new shows.

Because if you don't, you always run the risk of coming across something that spoils a key moment. Be it the ending, a cameo, or just the general plot points, someone somewhere will have posted about it — and no anti-spoiler system is perfect.

Worst of all, the official marketing has started exploiting spoilers almost as soon as humanly possible. Marvel's Thunderbolts* is a great example, since the movie ends with (spoiler alert) it being revealed that the team is actually going to be called "The New Avengers" going forward.

Naturally Marvel plastered that fact all over billboards after opening weekend, despite the fact there are plenty of people who don't have the means to watch a movie in theaters right away.

A similar situation happened with Doctor Who, with the official Doctor Who YouTube channel revealing that lead actor Ncuti Gatwa had left the show and was being replaced by Billie Piper — something that had been kept a secret up until broadcast. Those spoilers also made the news, with little consideration for who might have been watching.

How Threads' new features work

Threads isn't making the whole thing completely autonomous, and the features that are currently being tested will rely on other people to mark spoilers as and when they see them.

How it works is that when an individual comes across a spoiler—be it text or images based—they can highlight it and select the "mark spoiler" option from the pop-up menu. According to The Verge, this should then hide the content from other users until they click it for themselves.

According to Meta, spoilers on Threads will look different depending on the device you're using. Desktop spoilers will be a gray block, whereas mobile spoilers appear behind a bunch of floating static-looking dots.

This is being described as a "global test," but it's unclear how many people are actually going to be involved in it. It's similarly unclear if there will be further anti-spoiler features, such as one that lets users mark their own posts as spoilerific during the draft stage — similar to how Reddit lets users mark spoilers in advance.

Because it's all well and good that people can mark spoilers and save other people from seeing them, but that should really be a last resort.

Can't we all just behave?

Some people can be extremely sensitive about spoilers, and consider literally anything and everything about what's involved as "ruining the experience." But there's also a good balance between being overly sensitive and completely callous about what everyone else may or may not have seen.

We know that people can come together and not ruin things as soon as possible. Just look at the active campaign around Avengers Endgame, pushing people to avoid talking about the movie online for at least two weeks after release.

Heck that sort of thing isn't new either, since Alfred Hitchcock attempted something similar with the release of Psycho in 1960. The director is even said to have purchased as many copies of the book the movie was based on, to try and preserve all the twists and turns — though admittedly this was an era before social media made access to spoilers so easy.

If we can do that for some movies, we can probably do it for all of them. It may not completely negate the need for anti-spoiler features like Threads is implementing — but it means we may not need to rely on them nearly as often.

WhatsApp users will begin seeing advertisements on the app, thanks to a new global update.

As per Meta's Newsroom, advertisements will appear only in the "Updates" tab — a separate tab at the bottom of the app, which showcases both "Channels" and "Status" features. Users can subscribe to friends and other public channels, and post statuses of their own, akin to Instagram's subscription and "Stories" features.

"The Updates tab is where you discover something new on WhatsApp – whether that’s a friend’s status from their wedding day or a creator’s entertaining channel – and it’s now used by 1.5 billion people per day globally," Meta stated.

"Now the Updates tab is going to be able to help Channel admins, organizations and businesses build and grow."

WhatsApp will introduce ads in three ways on the Updates tab: via channel subscriptions, promoted channels and ads in Status. Channel subscriptions will work similarly to paid content on Instagram, allowing users to subscribe to their favorite public channels and receive exclusive updates for a monthly fee. In terms of promoted channels, businesses will be able to pay to boost their visibility to new users.

Businesses can also advertise products and services in Status updates, linking viewers to a chat when clicked.

How will ads actually work on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp will target ads in a similar way to Facebook and Instagram; however, it seems these third-party advertisements will be less intrusive to user experience. Meta notes that users' messages, calls and statuses "remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one can see or hear them" — including the platform — and if you don’t use the Updates tab, you won’t even see ads.

WhatsApp ads will be targeted towards users based on their age, country or city that they're located in, and language. Ads will also be targeted based on the channels they're following in the app and how they interact with ads.

Users who have chosen to link their WhatsApp account to Meta's Account Center hub will have their ad preferences and information fed from their Meta accounts.

Meta will be rolling out these features over the coming months and is already calling on businesses and channel admins to become early adopters of the new features. As always, we will keep you updated on how this pans out for WhatsApp users — and whether these ads will remain non-invasive in the long run.

It appears that Facebook was experiencing an issue, as users went to Down Detector to report that they were unable to use the social network.

We covered the short outage live and worked to determine the cause. We looked for official comments from Facebook and Meta, its parent company, but it ended before any comment was needed.

LIVE UPDATES

Possible Facebook outage begins

The outage reports on Down Detector quickly surged from the baseline to more than 1,200 in a matter of minutes, providing a clear indication that a large number of Facebook users are unable to use their favorite social network.

Profiles not showing up

Some users on Down Detector are saying their profiles and other pages are not showing up for them. This seems to be the main issue popping up on Facebook as the outage develops. Again, we'll keep checking around to figure out what is happening, when the outage will be resolved and offering alternatives in the meantime.

It's working for me

For whatever it's worth, it never went down for me, though enough users seem to have reported that something was wrong.

Just a quick one

Based on the reports, it seems this one is over already. While it spiked to around 1,000 people hitting Down Detector to report the outage, it quickly dropped into the 100 range, indicating that Facebook fixed the problem.

People all over the world rely on Instagram to share their favorite photos, watch hilarious reels, and more. This is why it was such a significant issue that the popular social platform was essentially unusable around the world on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.

Just after 9 a.m. Eastern, users started hitting the widespread outage reporting site Down Detector to report issues with Zoom, but that problem appears to have been resolved quickly.

Instagram outage live updates

The outage begins

Instagram's outage reports have jumped on Down Detector in a very short time. With more than 1,700 reports, users around the world are visiting the outage reporting website to let everyone know they are unable to use Instagram.

This could be the start of another outage affecting thousands of users who want to share their media.

We will continue to monitor the outage and keep you updated as developments occur.

No official word yet

Meta's status page has not acknowledged the outage, but the company is typically quick to post updates on its status page or one of its social media accounts when something is off.

We will continue to monitor for any new information as it becomes available.

Areas most affected

It appears that the Instagram outage is widespread across the U.S., with users reporting issues in New York City, Los Angeles, and areas in between.

Over already?

It appears that this was just a brief blip on the radar, as Down Detector reports have already dropped to an almost non-existent level. Right now, reports have dropped into the low hundreds, and the status has been downgraded to "User reports indicate possible problems at Instagram."

A new Instagram feature called Blend is launching that takes Reels, one of the app's best features, and combines it with group messaging. It takes the Reel tastes of everyone in a group chat (or two people in a one-on-one chat) and mixes them together, creating an interesting feed where everyone can get what they enjoy mixed with their friends' tastes.

Instagram says the Blend feed will reset every day. With how quickly social video algorithms change based on what you watch and interact with, it only makes sense for them to update frequently.

For those sick of the same old video feeds on Instagram, TikTok and others, this new feature could be a great way to expand your horizons and find things that people you like (presumably, if you're messaging with them on Instagram) enjoy watching.

Interestingly, Spotify has a feature called Blends that lets two friends combine their music tastes into a single playlist. I might have expected Instagram to use a different approach for its taste mixing feature, but I suppose there's enough blending for everyone (imagine if you could blend browser histories?).

Of course, there are some potential pitfalls. What if you watch a lot of weird or embarrassing content on Instagram, and a friend invites you to a Blend? If you don't accept, they might be offended, and if you do, you could be embarrassed. Or what if your friend has terrible taste and watches questionable content?

Thankfully, Instagram has an answer to ensure you don't see anything too awful. "Instagram’s sensitive content settings can be used to filter and control how much sensitive content is suggested to you. Blends suggest reels using the sensitive content setting of the member who is using the strictest filter," reads the company's help page.

In the end, it'll be up to you to decide whether you wish to engage with the Reel blending feature, but it's ultimately a good idea, especially with the uncertain future of TikTok in the U.S.

More from Tom's Guide

• Instagram now lets you schedule DMs — here's how to do it
• Here's how to join Flashes — Bluesky's answer to Instagram
• Millions of users are joining Bluesky — here's how to sign up

Instagram, the super-popular social media platform, had a significant outage that prevented users from participating in their usual social activities.

At around 11:30 a.m. ET, Tom's Guide staff could not use Instagram to post or view other users' content. Reports on Downdetector hit close to 500, so something could have been amiss with the social app.

Shortly after, though, the reports dropped, and Instagram worked fine. We'll keep an eye on things, but it seems like this was a quick blip that has since been resolved.

DMs could be the main issue

Based on X posts, it sounds like the place most users are experiencing difficulty is with direct messages. Posting and viewing other people's posts seems to work for most, so if that's the primary way you use Instagram, you might not see an issue.

However, it's not exclusive to DMs, as some users can't even log in to Instagram, claiming they see "network failed" messages, as noted in the X post embedded above.

And so it begins

While scurrying around Downdetector to ensure all of the internet's popular services are up and running, I noticed a blip in reports for the Meta-owned Instagram social network.

Currently, several Tom's Guide staff members are using Instagram without a problem, but the reports are growing at a fast enough pace that we're concerned something might be wrong with the app and will continue to monitor

Where's the outage?

Downdetector reports are also coming in from the U.K. version of the website, indicating that this problem isn't contained in the United States alone.

With reports starting to pour in from all over the world, this could be an outage to keep an eye on.

Fixed already?!

It looks like the quick outage is already resolved, as Downdetector now says "User reports indicate possible problems at Instagram" instead of "User reports indicate problems at Instagram."

That could mean that problem has been resolved already, but we'll have to keep checking back to see if that stays the case.

X (Twitter) reactions

Whenever there's an outage, the community on X quickly reacts with their thoughts.

In this case, because the outage was so quick, there wasn't a lot of time, but that didn't stop some comments from coming out, especially users trying to figure out what's happened and whether Instagram is actually down at all.

Instagram is back

The outage is officially over... for now

If you use Instagram for direct message (DM) chatting, then parent company Meta has just introduced five significant upgrades.

"People use Instagram DMs all over the world to stay connected with friends and family daily," the company wrote in a blog post. "Today, we’re introducing message translations, new ways to share music, scheduled messages, pinned content and group chat QR codes to make it even easier to connect with people over DMs."

We’ve outlined each of these five features below. Let's dive into these new messaging features and how you can use them.

How to schedule DMs on Instagram

The most useful new feature is the ability to schedule direct messages. Why would you want to? Perhaps it’s the middle of the night where you are, and you want the message to arrive in the morning. Or maybe you’ve come up with the perfect birthday message a week too early.

Either way, it’s easily done. Just type out the message as you would normally, but hold down the send button instead of tapping it. You’ll see a set of dates and times for up to 29 days in advance — pick the ones you want and tap on the send button to schedule it.

How to pin messages in Instagram

Another useful addition is the ability to pin messages at the top of conversations. It can be done in 1:1 messages or in group chats, and is handy if there’s something important that might be missed or forgotten. Less usefully, the Instagram blog suggests you can also use it to "revisit that one meme that makes you LOL every time".

Whatever you want to pin, the process is the same. Find the message, image or Reel you want to pin in your chat, hold down on it and tap "pin".

To take it down again, hold down on a pinned message and select "unpin". You’ll be wanting to spring clean like this occasionally, as a maximum of three messages can be pinned at a time.

How to translate direct messages on Instagram

The top-listed feature in Instagram’s blog is all about breaking down language barriers, with translation support for 99 languages now built into DMs.

"Whether you’re catching up with your cousins in Korea or your BFF abroad in Spain – you can translate their messages directly within your DMs, helping you stay close to your loved ones even when you’re apart," the blog post explains.

If you receive a message in a language you don’t speak, simply hold down on it and tap "Translate". The converted words will appear directly below the original message.

How to share songs in Instagram DMs

A more frivolous but fun update is the ability to easily share tracks within the message thread without leaving the space.

The functionality is hidden within the sticker tray. Tap on it, and select the "Music" option to search for any song contained within the Instagram audio library. It’ll send a 30-second preview of the song, along with a spinning vinyl icon of the album it’s taken from.

How to invite friends to a group chat with a QR code

It can be a bit tricky to recruit people to a group chat if you don’t know them well enough to already be Instagram buddies. But it’s sometimes necessary — maybe a group chat for a study group, or one for apartment neighbors.

Instagram now lets you generate a QR code for each group chat, saving you the trouble of searching for and adding each person individually. If, for whatever reason, the QR code is misused, the admin can change it at any time.

Creating a join code is easy enough. Open the chat you need a QR code for, and tap on the group name at the top. Tap the invite link, and then select "QR code" to view it. Then you can either show someone in person, or save it to your camera roll to send on to remote friends.

More from Tom's Guide

• Instagram now lets you schedule DMs — here's how to do it
• Here's how to join Flashes — Bluesky's answer to Instagram
• Millions of users are joining Bluesky — here's how to sign up

If you're looking for an Instagram alternative, Flashes might be just the thing. Think of Flashes as Instagram but built on Bluesky's open-source platform.

This new photo-sharing app works with Bluesky the growing Twitter alternative that's already attracted millions of users seeking a different kind of social media experience.

Currently available in Beta, users are able to experience Flashes' offers photo-sharing features while promising something different from the usual social media giants.

With features like multiple photo uploads, short videos and messaging in the works, it could be well worth getting in early.

In order to access Flashes you will need Apple's TestFlight app. Here's how you can join Bluesky's Flashes.

Now you've learned how to join Flashes, why not check out some of our other social media how-tos. Want a faster TikTok? Here's how to clear your cache, or if you're seeing the same content repeatedly, here's how to refresh the TikTok algorithm.

And if you use Threads, learn how to only see Threads from people you follow for a cleaner feed.

Just when I thought Netflix's Next On lineup couldn't get any better with some great content heading to the platform, I was beyond pleasantly surprised when the big red streamer's latest show, Apple Cider Vinegar, graced my screen yesterday evening (February 6).

The trailer for the highly anticipated drama dropped a few weeks ago, piquing the interest of true crime fans — myself included. As someone who prefers to indulge in the lighthearted nature of sitcoms and the occasional reality show, I do find myself reaching for harder-hitting narratives and intertwinings of complex crime stories every now and again.

After watching the trailer, you catch a glimpse of the glitzy, glamorous and long-gone era of the dawn of social media influencers circa 2012-2015. Nowadays, everyone's got a tripod, a vlog camera and ridiculous lighting setups, but Apple Cider Vinegar oh so carefully sends viewers back in time to the simpler days of duck lip selfies, OOTDs and the humble #Foodstagram.

Apple Cider Vinegar follows the real-events-turned-wrong of the homegrown Aussie Instagrammer, Belle Gibson, and the utter undoing of her health and wellness empire after it is revealed that Gibson's main motivation — her terminal brain cancer — was a well-calculated and fabricated rouse.

Now, it is important to note here that Gibson was not at all involved in the project and this is repeatedly brought up in fourth-wall disclaimers throughout the show. There are also elements of the story that are entirely fictionalized, so while a lot of the story's substance can point back to Gibson's real-life deceit, there are some plot points added for dramatic effect — but it pays off.

And it's safe to say now, after watching the first half of the series, that Apple Cider Vinegar hit my pre-conceived expectations out of the park.

Warning: spoilers ahead

Much like what was seen in Netflix's Inventing Anna, a similar tale of socialite deception, the webs of Gibson's lies (played by Kaitlyn Dever) are much more tangled than they seem. This entanglement is portrayed so perfectly by the montage sequence in the first few minutes of the show — and is even more perfectly accompanied by the backing track of Britney Spears' "Toxic".

From the jump, you know exactly what you're getting into. You see the rise of Belle's empire, akin to a catchy song and dance, all while being flashed aspects of her ultimate demise. It leads so well into the opening scene, in which Belle is meeting with PR agency representative and crisis manager, Hek, played by the charming Phoenix Raei.

You'll need to get a better read of Belle, though, to truly understand how deluded the character is. However, Kaitlyn Dever is impeccable at stringing everyone along for the ride, including the viewer. There are moments in which you root for Dever's character, but those moments are stolen away even quicker by Gibson's actions or response. Dever's performance is utterly convincing as she lies through her teeth to her coworkers, swindles a store clerk and does the most at her baby shower to convince others (who don't end up attending) that she's got a community around her, all in episode one. (It's also worth mentioning that Dever's accent work is so true blue (damn good for non-Aussies), that I was second-guessing my own accent.)

Gibson's character is encapsulated in several golden lines throughout the first few episodes, but by far, one of my favorites is said by Belle herself in episode one. When talking to breast cancer patient Lucy (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) about doctors lacking nutrition advice for chemo treatment, Belle drops the perfect pre-emptive line of "the arrogance is criminal when you think about it"... and for me, that rings true for the entire show.

Secondary to this killer line is Chanelle's (Aisha Dee) description of Belle as a "host", where she "finds someone and attaches herself". This is, again, accompanied by a perfect shot-for-shot capture of a moment where Hek almost sees through Belle's BS but then is instantly swept up into her whole worldview.

Some honorable character mentions here will go to Milla, played by Alycia Debnam-Carey, who is spiteful at first introduction but is considerably unwrapped as a caring and considerate health advocate for cancer survivors after pushing back on her own treatment plans for alternative therapy. Milla's plot occurs in parallel to Belle's in the first two episodes before their worlds collide in the third. Milla's family subplot is wholesome, but at times, I wasn't as invested in it as I was in discovering Belle's true nature.

Another great character here is Clive (Ashley Zukerman), Belle's partner who I won't say too much about, but just know, I strongly believe he deserves SO MUCH BETTER. I think my biggest takeaway from Clive's character is that you can think someone has great intentions but sometimes their manipulations get the better of you, and this rings true for poor ol' Clive.

Aside from Clive and Milla, Lucy, Justin, Arlo and Chanelle (played by Cobham-Hervey, Mark Coles Smith, Chai Hansen and Dee, respectively) round out the cast rather well, and each has their own stake in Belle's downfall.

How to watch Apple Cider Vinegar

As someone whose adolescence was spent during this period of social media's true beginnings, it was somewhat delightful to reconnect with some forgotten aspects of what it used to be like.

For starters, there's a mention of Hipstamatic, a relic of photography apps past and for me, I geeked out the most at Milla's first job at Girlfriend Magazine, a true icon of the 2010s. There are also quiet nods to Aussie culture during the episodes, too, like squabbles over coffee milk options, the use of the classic red Pawpaw ointment and, of course, the overuse of scarves in outfits.

While the show itself has received a nice 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, if you're a fan of Inventing Anna, or just want to relive Instagram's glory days, this is the show to binge-watch this weekend. No matter where you live in the world, you can watch all six episodes of Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix now.

Bluesky is the hot new internet hangout for the people who got a little tired of all the horrible stuff that’s been happening on Twitter/X over the past couple of years. And now it could end up forming the basis of a new Instagram competitor, for anybody that isn’t happy about Mark Zuckerberg and Meta’s sudden pivot to more right-wing politics.

Because Bluesky is built on an open protocol, it means just about anyone can create their own apps using the Bluesky social graph. And developer Sebastian Vogelsang is using that to build an app called Flashes — which will operate in a similar fashion to Instagram.

Flashes is actually just Bluesky with all the text-only posts filtered out. So anything that’s posted to the social network with an image or video will show up here. Similarly, anything you post on Flashes will also appear on Bluesky itself, with the option to share up to four pictures or 1 minute of video. This also means that Flashes will support Bluesky’s direct messaging and comment systems, feeding back into Bluesky proper.

Speaking to TechCrunch, Vogelsang says that Flashes is not meant to be an Instagram clone — and won’t offer anything like the same number of features. That’s no real surprise considering it’s basically just another take on Bluesky and will be limited to whatever features are available there.

Vogelsang has been able to produce Flashes pretty quickly, thanks to having built much of the code for his earlier third-party Bluesky client — called Skeets. This client offers more personalization, extra accessibility features and iPad optimization than Bluesky, and the intention is to bring these to Flashes as well.

There are plenty of reasons why you’d want to avoid or delete Instagram right now. It could be the recent controversial moderation decisions by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the fact that Instagram’s algorithm is really grinding your gears, or the quality (and quantity) of ads you’re seeing in your feed. An alternative could be what you’re looking for, especially if it cuts out all the fluff Instagram has added over the years.

It’s hoped that Flashes will be made available to the public “in a matter of weeks,” and it’s hoped that an open Testflight beta will be available sometime next week. We don’t have any more specific information about the app’s launch yet, but you can follow the Flashes Bluesky account for more updates.

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Instagram has quietly rolled out a new messaging feature for creators and casual users. Beyond being able to save photos from the app to your camera roll, its AI-powered background editing tool, and Instagram's answer to Twitter — Threads, the platform now offers the ability to schedule direct messages.

Messages can now be scheduled up to 29 days in advance, adding a helpful layer of automation to Instagram's messaging system. From content creators scheduling outreach messages to businesses timing promotional content or anyone wanting to send a perfectly timed greeting, this tool helps you plan your communications more effectively.

With this global rollout, all users can take advantage of this new feature, and it's just in time for the holidays. Let's dive into how you can schedule your DMs on Instagram.

After learning how to schedule a DM on Instagram, you might want to explore some other features. Learn how to change your username on Instagram to keep your profile fresh, discover how to use Quiet Mode on Instagram for better focus, or how to unblock someone on Instagram if you've had a change of heart.

Meta one of the largest tech companies in the world suffered a massive outage that affected most of the company's social platforms.

Facebook and Instagram seemed to struggle the most but Messenger, Threads and Whatsapp were experiencing issues.

Reports started coming in around 9:30 a.m. Pacific and lasted through about 2:30 p.m. Pacific.

Most users were saying that they were getting error messages or that parts of the platforms like Stories and messages weren't appearing or were never sent.

It's unclear why the platforms suffered problems though an outside report suggested it was due to back-end server issues.

Meta released on statement on X fairly soon after issues started saying, "We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience."

As of this writing, all of the affected social media platforms appear to be back to normal.

Facebook showing error message

Currently, if you try to access Facebook, this error message appears.

Some platforms seeing bigger outages

Based on Down Detector reporting, not every service appears to be equally affected.

Whatsapp and Facebook reporting are already in decline with Whatsapp nearly back to normal.

Instagram, Messenger and Threads are still high with 1000s saying they can't access those services.

Meta showing "major disruptions"

Meta has a status page for "business products" that is currently showing "Major Disruptions" to Facebook, Messaging, Instagram and Whatsapp.

It's not clear what is affecting those services based on the status bar though.

Meta uses X to respond to outage

Meta has not posted on its official X account since October 7th.

Today, possibly due to the outages, the account posted that the company is aware of the interruption and that they are working on the issue.

Of course, responses to the tweet are roasting the company some cheekily finding it ironic that Meta had to use a competitor to post about the issues.

Down from peak but ongoing

The outage appears down from its initial peak but still ongoing.

Instagram also used X to report the outage.

• Facebook - 107,109 reports
• Instagram - 71,654 reports
• Messenger - 15,025 reports
• Threads - 883 reports
• Whatsapp - 12,334

Facebook sharply declined but appears to be holding steady around 21,000 reports.

Instragram shows similar numbers.

Whatsapp sharply dipped down but has peaked again over 6,000 reports.

Messenger appears to similar to Whatsapp though it hasn't peaked again.

Threads seems fine, but do people use it?

Meta response

Tom's Guide reached out to Meta about the outage.

A spokesperson directed us to the X post the company made about the ongoing outage.

That post reads, "“We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience.”

No other comment was made about what could be causing the issue or an estimate of how long it may take to return service to normal.

Meta status page shows more disruptions

The outage has been ongoing for about 2 hours now.

It has not reached out the highs of its initial peak but does appear to be holding steady.

The Meta status page is showing more services disrupted.

Anecdotally, we have successfully been able to access Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram and scroll through them and send a few messages.

Instragram seemed a little slow. Facebook however, isn't showing stories or recent posts. And it appears to be the hardest hit based on the Meta page.

Users seek info on other platforms

While Down Detector is great for initial outage sighting, it's not always good for ongoing tracking. Their tracking has seen the reports sharply decline.

However, Meta's status pages are all in the red and after our last post, Instagram and Facebook have become much slower and in some cases aren't loading certain parts of the apps.

Meanwhile, concerned users are looking to Reddit, X and Bluesky to get more information.

The Facebook and Instagram subreddits, for example, are filled with people wondering what's going on.

For now, we don't know what is causing the problem, but Meta is going through it today.

Outage hits the three hour mark

Meta's service wide outage has cross the three hour mark and from where we sit, there is no end in sight.

The Meta status page has been fully read for the last 15 minutes.

As of this writing, Meta has not released a follow up statement to the initial X post. Similar statements were posted on the Whatsapp and Instagram X feeds.

Meta's products are global, especially Whatsapp, so we're seeing reports from all over the world come in about the outage.

While we've struggled to use Instagram and Facebook, not seeing a new post newer than 4 hours, we have been able to use Whatsapp for some group chats. So it's not clear if the outage is affecting every region equally or not.

Outage may be to internal server errors

For the most part, Whatsapp, Messenger and Threads seem off the outage train. Facebook and Instagram still appear to be hurting.

ThousandEyes, a security company owned by Cisco, reached out to us sharing their analysis of the outage.

They believe that Meta may be having issues on the back-end, suggesting an internal server problem.

It's not clear from their posting if that suggests a hack like DDoS attack or a failure of some kind on the servers in Meta's systems.

Outage appears to be winding down

While the outage reports on Down Detector are still around 3,000 reports for both Instagram and Facebook, it does appear that the outage is winding down.

Threads, Messenger and Whatsapp have been fairly solid for the last hour or so.

The Meta status page still has everything in the red as of 2:01 pm Pacific.

That said, we're seeing far fewer posts on other platforms about the services being down.

On our end, Instagram appears to be loading again with stories and more recent images starting to appear in the feed. Those things appear to be returned on Facebook as well.

Meta has not officially responded since its initial posting and statement.

Meta says things are 99% back

Within the last hour, Meta released another statement on X.

The post read, "Thanks for bearing with us! We’re 99% of the way there - just doing some last checks. We apologize to those who’ve been affected by the outage."

The Meta Status page still shows mostly red across the board, though a couple of sectors have shifted into yellow or green.

Overall I’ve been pretty positive on generative AI so far in its fairly young history. I really like what Google has done with Magic Editor, for example, to make your photos look their best. And I often turn to ChatGPT or Copilot to get answers to common questions that I’d normally go to Google for.

I’m also encouraged by Apple Intelligence. Even though it won’t be out until this fall, the developer preview of iOS 18 shows that Apple is finally making Siri smarter while also saving us time with features like recording and transcribing audio within notes and phone calls.

But there’s a darker side to AI that has emerged this week — no, I’m not talking about hallucinations — that has me very worried about whether companies are thinking things through before they sprinkle the proverbial AI pixie dust over everyone and everything. And it's overzealous humans, not AI, that's the problem. 

Google Gemini Olympics ad disaster 

How do you make an ad go from heartwarming to borderline horrifying? Google has shown us the way with its Gemini Olympics ad, which has already been widely panned for favoring algorithms over human connection.

In the commercial (whose comments have been turned off on YouTube), we see a father using AI to help her daughter gain an advantage in her training to be a great hurdler. Seems pretty harmless at first, but then the dad turns to Gemini to help his daughter write a letter to Olympic athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

The father explains that he’s “pretty good with words,” but he wants the fan letter to be “just right.” This is a huge insult to the daughter, who should be writing this letter in her own words. This is not something that needs to be just right; it just needs to come from the heart. 

In this instance Gemini isn’t just a creativity crutch, it sucks the humanity right out of the room. 

Google initially issued the following statement: “Our goal was to create an authentic story celebrating Team USA. It showcases a real-life track enthusiast and her father, and aims to show how the Gemini app can provide a starting point, thought starter, or early draft for someone looking for ideas for their writing.”

Now I could see the father himself helping as a starting point, but I don’t think AI should be the helper in a case like this. 

Fortunately, Google has since pulled the ad following the massive backlash, telling The Hollywood Reporter that “While the ad tested well before airing, given the feedback, we have decided to phase the ad out of our Olympics rotation." I'd like to meet those testers. 

Create an AI version of you with Instagram!

You might not have noticed but this week Meta shut down its celebrity AI chatbots. And I wouldn’t blame you because it appears no one was using them. 

Seriously, why would I want to talk to the AI version of Tom Brady or Paris Hilton? It’s not them. But don’t worry. Meta has already pivoted to AI Studio, which enables creators to customize AI avatars of themselves to answer questions from fans. The feature works with Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and the web. 

The aim is to let creators and business owners talk to their followers on their behalf. In the blog post Meta says AI Studio can help creators build an “extension of themselves to reach more fans.” 

Some of the AI characters that have been made so far seem somewhat helpful. For example, chef Marc Murphy has created an Eat Like You Live There! AI that offers personalized tips for embracing local dining when traveling. 

But overall there seems something very empty about using an AI avatar of yourself to engage fans. What’s next, fake fans engaging with fake creators?

Meet your next Friend

2024 will be remembered as the year of the AI hardware disaster, with poster children like the useless Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin. But that’s not stopping 21-year-old entrepreneur Avi Schiffman from jumping on the bandwagon. 

To be fair, the Friend is a $99 device that’s not designed to help you be more productive — unlike the above gadgets already heading for the AI graveyard. This always-listening Bluetooth pendant is supposed to be a companion.

“Productivity is over, no one cares,” Schiffmann told Wired. “No one is going to beat Apple or OpenAI or all these companies that are building Jarvis. The most important things in your life really are people.”

Let’s ignore for just a moment that the Friend is not a person. Actually, let’s not do that.

Yes, there are lots of lonely people out there, and something like the Friend could help. But there’s a huge difference between tech helping us find companionship and being a wholesale replacement for it and for humans. 

The Friend is designed to be encouraging, texting you positive affirmations after you “killed it” in that meeting or consoling you after you get blown away by a friend in a game. And the founder promises that the company will not store audio recordings or transcripts.

But I am very concerned that we are going down the wrong path with AI gadgets like this one. Have we forgotten that our very reliance on and addiction to tech has been the catalyst of loneliness and depression for millions? 

Don’t worry. As Schiffmann told The Verge, “I don’t think this should be the only person you should talk to.”

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• Rabbit R1 vs Humane AI Pin vs Limitless Pendant: AI wearables compared
• Humane AI Pin review roundup — this is a disaster

Instagram is testing a new controversial feature that makes it impossible for users to skip certain advertisements on their feeds. When encountered, these ads display a timer and prevent users from scrolling past until the full time has elapsed, similar to how ads work on YouTube.

The company confirmed to TechCrunch that it's testing unskippable ads after screenshots of the feature began circulating on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) this week. Users spotted the new feature while scrolling through stories and posts, recognizable by the "Ad break" icon that Instagram displays at the bottom, along with a countdown timer for when you can start scrolling again. If you tap the "Ad break" icon to learn more, a message pops up that reads: "Ad breaks are a new way of seeing ads on Instagram. Sometimes, you may need to view an ad before you can keep browsing."

Since Instagram is still in the testing phase, it remains unclear whether it will eventually roll out ad breaks for all users. "We're always testing formats that can drive value for advertisers," a Meta company spokesperson told TechCrunch. As we test and learn, we will provide updates should this test result in any formal product changes."

Given that Instagram already shows sponsored posts and ads sandwiched between content from the accounts users follow, many considered this to be a step too far. Several user complaints have already gone viral on social media about how these unskippable ads disrupt the viewing experience. If Instagram rolls Ad breaks out globally, there's likely to be an even more significant outcry. 

While other platforms like TikTok have ads slotted between videos, users can scroll past them. YouTube's TikTok rival, Shorts, also lets users skip ads, though the platform does display unskippable ads in long-form videos for users who don't pay for YouTube Premium. Chances are Instagram is trying to follow YouTube's example to appeal to advertisers who aren't necessarily pleased with Instagram, letting users easily miss their ads.  

More from Tom's Guide

• Instagram Blend could surface reels for you and a friend
• This Android malware is stealing passwords by impersonating popular apps like Instagram and Snapchat — how to stay safe
• Meta's Llama 3 AI assistant is live on Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp

Instagram’s feeds have been a mess for some time, but in a new announcement, the app is getting big changes to how the algorithm recommends content to users. 

First seen on The Verge, the most significant change is targeted directly at content aggregators — accounts that steal other people’s Tweets, Reels, posts, threads, etc. and repost them. In general, many of these accounts either cut off videos before the important part or do not credit the original creators. Occasionally these accounts will tag the originals in the caption. 

In an Instagram post, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, stated, “We need to do more to drive reach to creators who make original content.”

As much as aggregators clogging our feeds annoy us, it appears that Instagram also doesn’t like these kinds of accounts. In his post, Mosseri said that Instagram will remove aggregators from recommendations. 

“To aggregator accounts out there: I recommend looking for ways to make content your own so you can continue to be recommended to people who don’t follow you.”

Specifically, aggregator accounts that share other people’s content more than 10 times in a month will be pushed out of the recommendations algorithm. The most interesting part of the announcement is that Instagram won’t just be cutting off aggregators. Mosseri claims that the updated system will look for the original creators if they can and recommend those posts instead of ones from aggregators. He does admit that many posts might not work for this because they are rips from other platforms.

For those who enjoy following aggregator accounts, their posts will show up in your feed. You just won’t see as many repost accounts recommended to you in your feed or the explore tab.

It’ll be interesting to see how this system update actually affects things. Beyond aggregators, Instagram is clogged with fan pages, Pinterest-esque inspiration accounts and organizations that repost infographics or news. For the last one, the creation of original graphics and posts might outweigh the reposts.

From The Verge, part of the forthcoming update will also change how Reels rank with the goal of giving smaller accounts more distribution. 

The updates to the system won’t go live until the beginning of summer according to Mosseri. 

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• Samsung Galaxy S24 could have surprise Instagram feature
• How to use Quiet Mode on Instagram

Meta, like the entire tech world, has seen tremendous value in artificial intelligence (AI). The company has invested heavily in its Llama AI model and has now released Llama 3, which is even more powerful than the previous versions. In fact, Meta calls it "the most intelligent AI assistant you can use for free." 

To accompany the release of Llama 3, Meta is integrating it much further than it had previously. The company announced in a blog post that it is integrating the new AI model Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp through the Meta AI assistant. It will even start showing up directly in the main Facebook feed, so you won't be able to avoid Meta's ChatGPT competitor. If you want to try it without using one of the company's social media apps, you can go to Meta.ai.

The company said in a blog post that "you can use Meta AI on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger to get things done, learn, create and connect with the things that matter to you."

Meta is also rolling the AI assistant out in many additional countries. Now, people in Australia, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe will be able to interact with it English. The company says it's "just getting started" so we expect to see more locations added in the future.

What's new with Meta's Llama 3? 

As far as what's new with Meta's new AI model, it seems to be iterative, building on the features used in Llama 2 and making them smarter. 

Meta claims that its AI model is faster at creating images than it was previously. Now, it can produce images as you type. You can even tell it to animate a created image to get cool GIFs. I tried it out, and it was shockingly fast. I had to ask for a couple of edits to get the image I wanted, but it did end up creating some impressive art. In fact, Meta says images generated are also now sharper and higher quality, and I'd have to say the company is right about that based on what I saw.

Outside of image generation, Meta AI can be used to plan a night out, look up information on a topic, help decorate your home, solve math problems, get real-time search information around the web, and all of the other features you'd expect from a well-trained AI model. 

The integration into Facebook proper also sounds intriguing. Meta cites an example of seeing a post with the Northern Lights. "So if you see a photo of the northern lights in Iceland, you can ask Meta AI what time of year is best to check out the aurora borealis," reads the company's blog post.

More from Tom's Guide

• Meta's Llama 3 is coming this summer — but a small version could drop next week for you to try early
• Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are getting a huge AI upgrade — what you need to know
• Meta’s LLaMA AI aims to be more honest than ChatGPT

When you open Instagram, you’re presented with a feed that’s not just full of your friends’ photos, but of algorithmically surfaced video content (“reels”) that the app thinks you’ll enjoy. 

How you interact with these clips will, in turn, influence what appears in the future. What you see will be unique to you, drastically different from the app’s two billion other users.

But what if you could somehow combine your Instagram preferences with another user’s? That seems to be something that owners Meta is currently testing, with an experimental feature called “Blend.”

First spotted by the reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi on X (formerly Twitter), an attached screenshot shows an invite to the feature. 

“Reels recommendations based on reels you’ve shared with each other and your reels interests,” the included text states. It goes on to explain that Blend will be private between the two accounts it’s generated for, and that users can exit at any time.

It sounds pretty similar to a Spotify feature of the same name. Spotify Blend was launched back in 2021, and allows up to ten free and paid subscribers the chance to automatically merge their favorite songs into shared playlists, complete with customized cover art and “taste match scores”.

Meta confirmed to TechCrunch that the feature is an internal prototype and not something that’s currently being tested outside of the company. 

It’s unclear at this point if it ever will be. While algorithmically blending musical tastes on Spotify makes a lot of sense (for the soundtrack to a shared road trip, say), Instagram scrolling is more of a solo activity. 

While people routinely share entertaining reels to their friends on Instagram, that might be enough. After all, the algorithm will already be learning from reels discovered this way, and just because two people share an enthusiasm for, say, dog videos, doesn’t mean they both enjoy death metal.

Still, it doesn’t hurt to roll it out and see if it’s something that close friends or couples start to embrace. Crucially, this is a feature that TikTok doesn’t have — and anything Meta can do to make Instagram more competitive with the king of short-form video is something that shareholders would surely welcome.

Are Facebook and Instagram down? If you’re wondering whether both these Meta-owned social media platforms are facing service issues, we’re here with the latest outage update. According to Down Detector, the services went down for many users on Tuesday, March 5 around 10 a.m. ET, but have mostly recovered nearly three hours later.

If you look at each chart on Down Dectector’s site, you’ll see sharp spikes, indicating an influx of user-reported outages. As of about 10:30 a.m. ET, Down Detector says the number of outage reports for Facebook execeed 500,000. At the same time, the number of outage reports for Instagram maxed out past 75,000. 

This is far from the first time both Facebook and Instagram suffered from simultaneous outages. As you might expect, this kind of outage also impacts Facebook Messenger and Threads, subsidiaries of both social media platforms. Sometimes, the outages last several hours, and sometimes they're resolved much more quickly.

Although there's not much else to report now that the services are back online, you can see the timeline of events, as well as statements from Meta, below. 

As of 10:33 a.m. ET, the number of users reporting issues with Facebook has exceeded 350,000.

Looking for more information about the outage, users are turning to X with a good sense of humor. 

It seems like the outage reports are trending downward. This would suggest that the issue that caused both Facebook and Instagram to go down is actively being resolved. 

There seems to be concerns online that Facebook accounts have been hacked, and that's why the platform isn't working properly.

No, your Facebook hasn't been hacked. But if you do ever have an issue with someone else accessing your account, make sure you know what to do if your Facebook account is hacked.

As of 11:30 a.m. ET, outage reports for Facebook and Instagram are both trending downward. The number of reports for Instagram dropped below 30,000, and the number of reports for Facebook dropped below 90,000. That's a big improvement, considering that the number of Facebook reports exceeded 500,000 at the height of the outage about one hour ago.

Although outage numbers are trending downward, I just checked my own Instagram and Facebook accounts, and sure enough, both are still having issues.

Using the mobile app via iOS, on Facebook, I'm unable to log in to my account. On Instagram, I'm logged in, but I can't see any new posts posted within the last few hours. When I try to swipe down to refresh my feed, I get 'Couldn't refresh feed' error message you see above.

Meta provides outage update

What has Meta had to say about today's outage? Andy Stone, the company's communications director, posted on X to address the issue:

"We're aware people are having trouble accessing our services. We are working on this now."

In addition to Instagram, Threads is currently down. The Instagram-based X rival isn't nearly as popular as Facebook or Instagram, so the number of outage reports from users fell under 1,000.

I checked my own Threads app, and sure enough, I can't see anything in my feed. I can still view my account and account activity, but I'm unable to see posts from other users. Weirdly, it seems I'm still able to post a new thread. 

There are reports that Instagram, Facebook, and Threads is back up for some users. We've checked for ourselves and a couple of Tom's Guide editors confirm they are able to get access to their accounts.

Service outage web site Down Detector is showing fewer reported outages with Facebook, which could indicate that the service disruption might be nearing its end.

If you were wondering how these service disruptions are effecting its stock value, Meta's stock was trading for as low as $488.10 a share today, but it has since rebounded.

Meta's comms boss, Andy Stone, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the technical issue has been resolved and the company apologizes for any inconveniences.

Given that all of Meta's services seem to be back online, we're going to wind down this live blog of the outage. If you're still having issues with Facebook, Instagram or Threads, let us know! You can find us everywhere on social @TomsGuide. 

With the conclusion of Galaxy Unpacked, we finally have all the information about the Galaxy S24 series. One of the surprise reveals of the day was that the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra will be able to upload HDR images to Snapchat and Instagram. 

Samsung has stated that this will be the first time that HDR images can be uploaded to both Instagram and Snapchat. Samsung has beaten Apple to the punch when it comes to app integration for their device — making this a top choice for the influencers of the world.

Usually, when uploading photos to apps like Instagram, there is a certain amount of compression that happens. However, Samsung’s VP of Intelligent Imaging, Dr Hamid Sheikh stated during the event: “Every photo and video you take, or view, will be shown in its full range of color and contrast, from the moment you snap the content, to the moment you post.”  

In photography, HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and refers to the range of light and dark tones within a photo. It is a means to measure the light intensities from the highlights to the shadows. This allows pictures to appear closer to how they appear to the human eye.  

However, the Galaxy S24 series has far more than just HDR that the apps will be able to make use of. For instance, both Snapchat and Instagram can take advantage of Nightography and video stabilization features when taking pictures through the app. While these additions alone won't make you a better photographer, they are a great start, and we have a few hints to go improve further.

These changes will allow the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Ultra to stand ahead of the current best camera phones when it comes to social photography. In theory, taking photos on the apps will offer the same quality as taking photos through the native camera app, and speed up the whole process by removing the need to add the photos to the app.

For more on what's new about Samsung's latest phones, take a look at our Galaxy S24 hands-on and Galaxy S24 Ultra hands-on.

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Instagram is rolling out a new feature that will allow you to add custom AI-generated backgrounds to photos used in your Instagram stories.

Add a photo to a story on your Instagram profile, and you’ll now see a new background generator icon at the top. After tapping it, Instagram will remove your image’s real background and give you the option to add something new, including “chased by dinosaurs” and “surrounded by puppies.”

The new feature — which Instagram calls Backdrop — is powered by generative AI, so you can also insert your own request for the background tool to add to your photo. In a GIF showcasing the new feature, Meta’s generative AI lead Ahmad Al-Dahle also showcased how you can put yourself in different environments and scenarios.

Once the story is published, your followers will see the story with a “Try it” sticker, inviting them to try out Backdrop for themselves.

Generative AI has obviously become the go-to addition to nearly any app and service, and social media companies have been among the quickest to adopt the solution. Earlier this week, in fact, Snapchat launched a feature that lets users request that generative AI create an image and send it to others. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, also offers an AI image generator, called Imagine with Meta. The company has also been investing heavily in a rash of AI features all aimed at making using its services better — and stickier so that users stay with them for longer/

How to create an AI-Generated Background in Instagram

Interested in learning how to create an AI-generated background in Instagram? The process is about as easy as it gets, and similar to adding stickers and other items to your story.

At this point, the process is what you’re used to when working with Instagram. Choose whether you want to add more content to the image, decide whether to share to your story or with close friends, and ultimately tap on the arrow icon at the bottom to share that newly created image.

Your friends should see your image and get the option to try out Backdrop for themselves.

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Meta is rolling out new AI tools across its products including an image generator, a new way to collaborate on editing photos, and improved birthday greetings in Facebook.

The social media giant was an early investor in generative AI technology as part of its wider plan to bring about the metaverse. It also made its large language model LlaMA available open-source and contributed to much of the underlying technology.

Over the past year the company has started commercializing this research and its latest offerings will see generative AI embedded across Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

So, what are they launching?

New AI tools and products are launching in search, social discovery, ads, business messaging as well as the full suite of consumer products. This includes better collaboration, automation, and image generation capabilities.

Many of these are built on the Meta AI virtual assistant, designed to answer questions, generate photorealistic images, and be built into other Meta-owned products. Inside WhatsApp, Instagram messages, or Messenger simply type @MetaAI in a group chat and ask it to make something.

The company has also launched a new Meta-branded, standalone product called Imagine. It is a simple image generator along the same lines as Midjourney, DALL-E, or Stable Diffusion. A text prompt and generate button which, when clicked, creates the image you requested

What are some of the highlights?

Several new generative AI services and features are coming from Meta in addition to Imagine. Most of these are built into existing products. Here are the ones I think stand out from the crowd.

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The Samsung Galaxy S24 family of smartphones aren’t too far away from release, if rumors of an early launch are to be believed. Indeed, one report has highlighted Wednesday 17 January as the day to watch, with Samsung expected to go big on artificial intelligence for its next flagship handsets.

Photography is another area that the series is expected to improve, with talk of a new 50MP telephoto sensor and clever video tricks on the Galaxy S24 Ultra model. And it looks like Samsung has something planned with Instagram to take full advantage.

Digging into the latest version of the Instagram app, mobile developer Alessandro Paluzzi found a text aimed squarely at owners of Samsung’s next flagship smartphone. It details a splash screen that informs S24 owners they can “now turn on a [lock screen] shortcut to Instagram Camera in settings”.

That essentially reduces the time needed to start capturing snaps or footage, which could prove handy if you need to react to something quickly. The whole process of unlocking your phone and booting up Instagram may take mere seconds, but that can be the difference between capturing viral dynamite and missing it entirely.

As 9to5Google reminds us, this isn’t the first time Samsung and Meta-owned Instagram have worked together on exclusive software tweaks. The Samsung Galaxy S10 has an “Instagram Mode” in the built-in camera app, while letting users post stories directly. The app’s tablet layout for Android also debuted on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. 

It’s not clear whether this is something that’s set to be included on all S24 models, but there’s no technical reason why it shouldn’t be. When it comes to Galaxy S24 vs S24 Plus vs S24 Ultra, the main differences come down to screen size, battery capacity and camera performance, with all three expected to share the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor in the US (other regions may have the Exynos 2400 for all but the Ultra model). 

Will Instagram integration be part of all three models? We’ll likely find out in January.

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Meta has revealed a pair of new generative AI tools that will let Instagram and Facebook users make videos from a simple text prompt — or make changes to an image with an equally simple text prompt.

Known as Emu Video and Emu Edit, the new features use the same technology that powers sticker creation in WhatsApp and other image-generation capabilities inside Meta products.

Crafting a video with Emu will be as simple as telling it what you want the video to look like — this could include turning a static image into an animated GIF or short clip for Reels.

How does it work?

Mark Zuckerberg announced the products in a Reels video posted on Facebook — the short clip featured the Meta CEO playing with his dog on a patch of grass slowly turning into a panda, then a panda in the jungle, and finally a pair of dancing pandas in a disco.

Emu is a massive foundation AI model that is being integrated across Meta's social and communications products and services. The latest features add video for the first time — giving users a simple way to craft content without having to open a camera or learn how to animate.

The other exciting development is editing existing images. Emu Edit can be used to add or remove text from a photo you already have in your camera roll, it could allow you to add a new object into the image or change it completely, maybe placing your phone on the Moon.

Why do we need it?

Image generation with AI can be something of a dark art. You enter a prompt and hope it comes out the way you expect but if not you enter further prompts until it is close enough. Emu Edit is more free-form, according to Meta. It works through multiple tasks and instructions.

It can remove or add a background, change colors and the geometry of the whole image or any individual part, it can detect parts of an image and change them. Basically, it has the capacity to give even the least technical the ability to make complex changes to images.

Meta wrote in a blog post: “While certainly no replacement for professional artists and animators, Emu Video, Emu Edit, and new technologies like them could help people express themselves in new ways."

Adding that this could include an "art director working through a new concept or a creator livening up their latest reel" through to "a best friend sharing a unique birthday greeting."

We are starting to see the fruits of years of research into artificial intelligence come to the public sphere. Whether it is Google adding the ability to clone the voices of your favorite musical artists in YouTube, or Meta letting you turn your dog into a dancing panda — this is just the start.

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Anyone with a Threads account will know that the log-in system for Meta’s new Twitter-like social network is the same as Instagram. Essentially it’s one account for both services, and that means you couldn’t delete one without also deleting the other — which isn’t ideal. Thankfully that’s no longer the case.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announced this news earlier this week, revealing that the latest version of the Threads mobile app lets you delete a Threads account without affecting your Instagram. It’s a feature that users have been asking about since Threads first launched. In case they ever got bored of the new service, but still want to stick with Instagram.

All you have to do is head to Settings > Account and choose the Delete or Deactivate profile options. Deactivate puts your profile into a hibernation of sorts, removing it from the public view but still giving you the option to return and reactivate it some day. Delete wipes your Threads profile from the mortal plane, never to be seen again.

It’s not clear whether this works the other way round, letting users delete Instagram without affecting Threads. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, and if you want it be sure to let Meta know.

That’s not all that’s changed either. Modderi also confirmed that users will get more control over which Threads posts get shared to Instagram and Facebook. Or, more specifically, to opt out of this feature all together. 

Because sometimes you want to keep your posting fairly contained, and not suggested to other people on different networks — no matter how closely related they may be. Just head into Settings > Privacy and opt out.

Threads has definitely been a work in progress since it launched earlier this year, and the lack of certain key features has affected how many users actually bother with the platform. Thankfully it seems like developers are listening to user feedback and implementing stuff they’re asking for — even if it means helping them delete their accounts.

The new app update is still rolling out to users, so if the option to delete your account on its own isn’t there yet, you’re going to have to sit tight and be patient.

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“Hmmmm” was my reaction to hearing that Instagram boss Adam Mosseri reckons Android is now better than iOS. 

In response to YouTuber MKBHD (aka Marques Brownlee) posting on the Meta-owned Threads app asking for tech “hot takes” Mosseri replied with: "Android's now better than iOS." This take saw a flurry of responses in both support and opposition to Mosseri’s stance on the matter; some noted it explains why there’s no native Instagram app for iPad, while others said that Android is more privacy-sapping and offers worse customer service than iOS. 

Now I’ve been writing about this long enough to know that such hot takes trigger tribalism in smartphone users (it’s the same situation when it comes to pitting the PS5 vs Xbox Series X). But I’ve got my tech toes in both the iOS and Android pools, and can see where Mosseri is coming from, though I also don’t fully agree with him.

First off, Instagram on iPad is a joke. In all my years of using an iPad, the Instagram app still hasn't been configured to play nicely with the tablet, yet it works fine on the best Android tablets as well as the best foldable phones more recently. And that situation doesn't look like it’ll change any time soon, especially as Mosseri has said in the past that there aren't enough iPad users to justify Instagram making a native iPad app a priority. I think this is just something iPad users have mostly just swallowed up.

As for Instagram on iPhone, I find the main app works fine and ties in nicely with the camera on my iPhone 13 Pro. However, I have noticed that opening posts in third-party apps like WhatsApp could cause them to open in Safari rather than in the Instagram app, which can be irritating. Though at the time of writing, I only managed to replicate this issue once so perhaps it’s mostly been solved.

Nevertheless, I can see where Mosseri is coming from. But I also don’t agree with him in full.

Android vs iPhone: iOS still wins for me

At the end of 2021, I swapped from Android to iPhone. And while I've used and still use some of the best Android phones, I’ve not yet swapped back from my iPhone 13 Pro. And the reason for that is how consistent iOS and the overall iPhone experience is.

It’s a cliche, but things do just work on iPhones. The content management system Tom’s Guide uses is easily accessible on iOS and can be used to do quick edits if needed, while on Android it really doesn't work. And I’ve found the same to be somewhat true of all manner of devices and services; connecting to Bluetooth headphones, streaming audio to smart speakers, display mirroring and so on, all just feels easier to do on iPhone than on Android devices.

Sure iOS has its frustrations with widgets that aren't up there with Android equivalents, and it baffles me how hard it is to easily drag and drop apps without other apps flying all over the place on iOS. I also find Android more interesting to use than iOS; the different phone brands and the skins applied to Android phones make for a more attention-grabbing experience, whereas the user interface of iPhones doesn't change a great deal from generation to generation.

Yet metaphorical gun to my head, if I was to recommend either iOS or Android to the average consumer — when not factoring in budgets — I’d have to recommend an iPhone. Android phones lack that pure polish that I believe iOS still has; they are great for tech aficionados, but for everyone else who just wants a smartphone to be as easy as possible to use in most cases, then iPhones still represent the gold standard.

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Threads, Instagram’s new Twitter competitor, has only just launched, but people are already uncovering some caveats with signing up for the service. Like the fact it’s impossible to delete your Threads account without also deleting your Instagram. 

While it may be a little bit early to be ditching Meta’s latest social network, it's generally nice to know what your options are before you start posting en masse. Users spotted this particular clause in Threads’ settings, and it was later confirmed by Instagram head Adam Mosseri, who explained all the details. 

Apparently you can do pretty much everything except delete your account. According to Mosseri you can deactivate your Threads account or set your profile to private, all while keeping your Instagram account open and public. You’re also able to delete individual posts, as you can on any good social network, assuming you have the time and energy to get rid of them all.

This is all down to the fact Threads and Instagram are joined at the hip. Mosseri describes Threads as being powered by Instagram, which means both services are essentially the same accounts. However he claims that a way to delete one account, but not the other, is in the works.

When such a feature might launch isn’t exactly clear, and that’s well worth remembering before you start using Threads. Particularly if you’re rather a prolific Instagram user.

If that’s the case then deactivating your account is the next best thing. It’ll hide your profiles, posts, replies, likes and all your Threads activity so nobody can see them. However logging back into the service automatically reactivates your account, so you need to be vigilant in staying away.

If deactivating is something you already want to do go to Threads’ Settings menu followed by the Account tab. From there tap Deactivate profile  and then Deactivate Threads profile. You can read our guide on how to deactivate your Threads account to see those steps in greater detail.

You can read more about our live updates and first impressions of Threads, along with how it compares to Twitter. Alternatively, if you don’t have an account yet, here’s everything you need to know on how to download and install Threads.

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Billed as a "new way to share with text”, Threads is a fresh social media platform created by Meta, the company behind both Facebook and Instagram. Unabashedly pitched as a Twitter rival, Threads already boasts over 10 million users and offers a fairly solid suite of features for a social network in its infancy. And if you want to follow Tom's Guide on the platform, you'll find us here.  

If you’re already an Instagram user, then signing up for Threads is super straightforward. Just log in using your existing account credentials and all your details will transfer over. You can even opt to follow the same people on Threads that you do on Instagram. If you don’t have an Instagram account, you will need to make one first in order to sign up for Threads.  

It’s also important to note that signing up for and accessing Threads currently requires a smartphone. There is no browser-based version of the site, so you must download the official app on either iOS or Android. As of yet, Meta has not announced any details of a desktop version of the site. 

Even with these initial limitations, Threads is already making waves, and thanks to the backing of Meta, it’s a lot more polished out-of-the-gate than other Twitter alternatives like Bluesky or Mastodon. So, if you want to join the growing conversation, here’s everything you need to know about how to sign up for Threads.  

How to sign up for Threads 

1. Download the Threads app 
2. Log in with your Instagram account 
3. Select Join Threads
4. Enjoy Threads 

Read on to see detailed instructions for each step.

And that's everything you need to know about how you sign up for Threads. We expect the process will eventually be possible without a pre-existing Instagram account, and a proper desktop version of the social media platform may be launched in the future as well. For now though, while Threads is very much the new kid on the block, it's already developing into a fairly interesting social network that is a great place to connect with people. And share memes, of course. 

That said, if you've signed up for Threads and decided it's not for you, here's how to deactivate your Threads account.

Meanwhile, we've got a whole collection of handy walkthroughs to help you get the most out of our Instagram so check out our guide on how to post on Instagram. Plus, how to use Quiet Mode on Instagram and how to tell when you're blocked on Instagram. And if you're sticking with Twitter, we also have instructions for how to sign up for Twitter Blue. 

It’s important to know how to unblock someone on Instagram. Even if you did it as a joke (or you just needed a cooling-off period), you may feel the need to reinstate a silenced friend. 

When someone’s blocked on Instagram, you won’t see their posts or stories on your feed, and they won’t be able to see your profile, message you or comment on your posts. Likewise, you'll have the option to block their account, or to block their account and other existing accounts they may have. This also extends to any accounts they may create. 

If you then decide to bring them back in from the cold, you'll have to unblock additional accounts individually.

People aren't notified when you block them and, as such, they also won't be notified when you unblock them. 

Remember when unblocking someone, you likely blocked them for a reason. If they haven't made an effort to change their ways it may not be a good idea to unblock them. But, should you wish to proceed, here's how you do it. 

How to unblock someone on Instagram 

After he changed a few too many commas in my work, I blocked How To’s Editor Pete Wolinski on Instagram, this is what his profile currently looks like to me while blocked. 

You should now be able to see their profile as normal, although you may have to reload the page for Instagram to catch up.

If you're looking to get the most of Instagram, check out How to tell when you're blocked on Instagram, How to use Quiet Mode on Instagram, How to Change your username on Instagram or How to add music to an Instagram story.

If you suspect you've been blocked on Instagram, it's natural to want to find out for sure. After all, these kinds of things sting a little, especially if it's someone who used to be your friend.

Don't worry though, because it's easy to find out for sure if you've been blocked on Instagram. Then you'll know definitively and can put the matter to rest.

However, it's important to remember that if you've been blocked on Instagram, the person who blocked you likely doesn't want any contact with you and doesn't want you viewing their profile, so you need to suck it up and accept that fact. You would be ill advised to go seeking ways to circumvent their block or try to contact them.

With that out of the way, here's how to tell if you've been blocked on Instagram.

How to tell if you've been blocked on Instagram

In this example, Tom's Guide writer Andy Sansom has blocked me — that won't exonerate him from his article deadlines though. Before he blocked me, I could see his profile and content.

To tell whether you're blocked, you'd follow these steps.

Blocking takes effect straight away, but you may still see the person who has blocked you in your notification feed, if you've had recent notifications from them. 

There also appears to be a lag — after Andy blocked me, I could still search for and access his profile. However, it was possible to tell I'd been blocked because his profile looked like the image below: totally void of content with followers and following counts hidden.

There you have it. You now know how to tell definitively whether someone has blocked you on Instagram. If you'd like more tutorials for using social media apps, read our guides on how to download videos from Facebook, how to hide likes on Facebook and how to change your username on Instagram.

For your own sake, you should learn how to enable Quiet Mode on Instagram. That's because, if you're a social media user, it's easy for the constant pace and pressure of apps like Instagram to start affecting your focus levels and even your mental wellbeing. 

While Instagram is a great social media app for keeping up with friends, followers and people you admire, using it constantly isn't a great idea. In fact, Meta themselves acknowledge this in a post about Quiet Mode, a feature which enables users to disable notifications from Instagram.

Meta says Quiet Mode is to help everyone take some time away from Instagram. Specifically though, they want to encourage younger users to take time away as Meta  says it is concerned about the effect Instagram could have on teenagers focusing on their studies. 

Quiet Mode allows users to stop notifications until they turn the feature off. This can be done manually, or users can set an automatic time for Quiet Mode to turn on and off. Importantly, Meta says younger users will receive prompts to enable Quiet Mode if it detects that they have been using the app late at night.

Anyone messaging you once you've turned Quiet Mode on will receive an automatic message informing them that your notifications are off. Once you disable Quiet Mode, or it turns off automatically, Instagram will give you a run down of your notifications from while you were essentially offline. Quiet mode is available for users in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, and Meta has plans to roll this feature out to more countries in due course. 

So how do you enable Quiet Mode on Instagram? Read on to find out.

How to enable Quiet Mode on Instagram

1. On your Instagram profile, tap the three lines icon and then tap Settings.

2. Tap Notifications.

3. Tap Quiet Mode.

4. Toggle Quiet Mode on then, to set automatic timings, tap one of the digital clocks.

5. Scroll to the desired time. Once the time is set, tap anywhere outside the clock to confirm. Repeat for the other clock.

That's all there is to it. Now you've figured out Quiet Mode, you may also want to learn how to hide likes on Instagram and how to hide likes on Facebook. We can also help you get to grips with other apps and software — get started by learning how to use chatGPT, an AI chatbot that can answer your questions.

Instagram users are currently being targeted by a new phishing campaign that uses fake support emails to steal their credentials.

First discovered by security researchers at Armorblox, this campaign begins with an email that has the subject line: “We Noticed An Unusual Login, [user handle]. Like other phishing attacks, it tries to instill a sense of urgency in potential victims that may be worried that someone else logged into their Instagram account. 

While the email appears to come from Instagram’s support team at first glance, you can tell it’s a fake due to the email address being incorrect. These phishing emails come from ‘contact@instagramsupport.net’ but the company actually uses the email “support@instagram.com” to reach out to users if there is a problem with their account.

However, many users might fall for this scam since the fake emails used in this campaign contain their actual Instagram user handle to instill a sense of trust.

Fake Instagram landing page

If an unsuspecting user clicks on the “secure your account here” link within one of these phishing emails, they are then taken to a fake landing page designed to steal their Instagram password.

The fake landing page includes both Instagram branding and details about the unusual login attempt to make it appear more convincing. Below a map showing where the login took place, there are two buttons: “This Wasn’t Me” and “This Was Me”.

Instagram users that have gotten this far will likely click on “This Wasn’t Me” as they think it’s the right thing to do to protect their account. However, this takes them to another page that appears like a password reset portal where they need to enter their old password along with a new one.

What makes these phishing emails particularly worrying is how they were able to bypass Microsoft Exchange’s security protections and its Secure Email Gateway. These fake emails also passed both SPF and DMARC email authentication checks which shows the cybercriminals responsible put a good deal of work into making this phishing campaign appear legitimate.

How to stay safe from phishing emails 

In order to stay safe from this phishing campaign and others like it, you should always carefully scrutinize any email that lands in your inbox before clicking on any of the links contained within it. You should look for spelling, grammar and capitalization errors and use a search engine to check to make sure the email address matches a company’s official support email.

At the same time, you can actually check Instagram and other social media platforms to see your recent login activity as opposed to taking any urgent emails in your inbox at face value. This support document explains that you can view your recent login activity from within the Instagram app on iOS and Android. If you don’t see the unusual login attempt detailed in the email in Instagram, then you know the email is actually fake.

In a blog post detailing its findings, Armorblox recommends that you enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your Instagram and other social media accounts. This way, a hacker will need both your password and your smartphone to login into your account. Armorblox also highlights the dangers of reusing passwords across multiple accounts because if hackers gain access to one of them, they can take over your other accounts.

With Black Friday just around the corner, expect to see even more phishing emails in your inbox. However, if you carefully look these fake emails over and don’t let your emotions get the best of you, you won’t have your credentials stolen.

Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta quietly released a new tool earlier this year that allows you to remove your phone number and email address from the tech giant's database.

As reported by Business Insider — which learned about the feature from a tipster — the tool has been available since May 2022, but the social media giant hasn’t really promoted it or said anything publicly about it. Instead, the tool is hidden at the bottom of a support page for non-users. 

If you scroll down the page linked above, you can find the tool in the section titled “How Non-Users can exercise their rights.” At the bottom of this section, you’ll find the following line: “Click here if you have a question about the rights you may have.” Surprisingly, this line doesn’t mention the tool at all but if you click on Click Here link, you’ll be taken to the contact info removal tool.

Although this tool is designed for those that don’t use Facebook or Instagram, anyone can use it to remove their phone number or email address from Meta’s database.

Meta may have your contact info even if you don’t use its services

The reason Meta had to create this tool in the first place is because Facebook and Instagram allow users to sync the contacts from their smartphones with its services. However, when you do so, your contacts haven’t given consent to have their phone number or email address uploaded to the company’s database.

On the page that contains its contact removal tool, Meta provides more information on why someone may want to use it in the first place, saying:

“Someone may have uploaded their address book to Facebook, Messenger or Instagram with your contact information in it. You can ask us to confirm whether we have your phone number or email address. If we do, you can request that we delete it from our address book database. To prevent it from being uploaded to this database again through someone’s address book, we need to keep a copy in our block list.”

Back when Facebook was still growing, the company often asked users of its mobile apps to sync their contacts with the social network in order to help them find friends on its platform. However, this led to Meta having a wealth of contact information including details about people who don’t use any of its services.

How to use Meta’s contact removal tool

Regardless of whether or not you have a Facebook or Instagram account, you may want to use Meta’s new tool to remove your mobile number, landline phone number or email address from the company’s database.

To do so, first you need to click here to access the tool, as it can be difficult to find on your own. With the tool open, you can have Meta search its database to find out if it has your phone number or email address. Pick the one you want to search for and click “Next.”

From here, you need to enter the email address or phone number you want to search for and specify whether you want Meta to check for it on Facebook and Messenger, Instagram or both. Once you’ve entered this information, click "Next."

If someone synced their contacts with Facebook or Instagram and your email address or phone number was uploaded to Meta’s database, you’ll see a page like the picture below. By clicking “Confirm,” you can have Meta delete your contact information from its database and block it so that it won’t be uploaded again.

However, before Meta can remove your contact information, the company will send you a confirmation code via email or text. Enter the confirmation code in the box and click on “Next” to have you contact info removed from the company’s database.

Once Meta removes your contact information from its database, you’ll see a message like the one below confirming the request was successful.

There you have it — your email address and phone number have now been removed from Meta’s database. Keep in mind though that if you change your email address or phone number, you may need to repeat this process as someone you know may end up syncing your new number or email address with Meta’s services once again.

At its recent Search On event, Google announced that it is taking steps to reinvent the wheel with its search engine. As the world moves to a more visual-first approach with apps like TikTok and Instagram, Google is finding new ways to integrate more visual ways for people to search and discover.

With Google Search we could already do a voice search or search using an image, but the tech giant will expand this further to include more content types and many more interactive features. One of the big changes the search engine will get is images and video content in the search results — that will not present themselves as separate boxouts anymore — but will merge into the results itself.

Google is looking at making its search engine more fluid and interactive. On the company blog, Cathy Edwards, who is the Vice President of Search, says, “we’re working to make it so you’ll be able to ask questions with fewer words — or even none at all — and we’ll still understand exactly what you mean”. 

For example, the Google app on iOS will now see shortcuts laid out under the search bar so users are not left wondering “how” to search for something. This will include options like “identify song by listening," “solve homework with camera," “shop for products using screenshots” and “translate text with camera."

Other handy search features will include a more developed autocomplete and there will be keyword or topic options that will also pop up to help specify finding things.

 ‘Stories’ in Google Search 

The big change is in the way Google will show up some of the results using different multimedia. So once you have found the right words for your search, Google will highlight  “the most relevant and helpful information, including content from creators on the open web”.

This means that if you search for a specific city, for example, you will see stories and short videos from content creators that highlight things like tips on how to explore the city or things to do.

Google says the information will come in from a variety of sources and won’t be classified separately as text, image or video. The reimagined search will be a lot more interactive and help users “discover” more information as well. The company says this feature will be available in the “coming months."

Google is using advanced machine learning for some of its new translation features as well. There is a new Lens translation update where you can point your camera at a poster in another language and it will translate the text and overlay it on the image itself.

 Easy search for specific food items

Google is also making it much easier to find specific food items near you. The new “Multi search near me” feature will let users take a picture of a dish or a screenshot and instantly find it nearby. 

Multi search was already a feature that was launched earlier this year — it allows people to search through a screenshot for a specific item using Lens. Now the tool has expanded and will save us some time browsing through menus looking for exactly what we want to eat.

Most of the new features will first make their way to US users on the iOS Google app in the coming months before a more widespread roll out.

Next: Google Search just got a handy upgrade for finding things fast — and you can try it now. Also check out 11 hidden Google Search features that will make your life easier.

If you're looking to jazz up your social media presence, knowing how to add music to an Instagram story will do just that.

Indeed, adding music to an Instagram story is an easy way to make your posts more personal and hopefully get more attention, and is really easy whether you choose to do it on a smartphone or tablet such as the iPhone 14 or Galaxy Tab S8.

All it takes is a few taps in the Instagram app, and you can even include the song's lyrics in your post as well. Instagram has its own library bursting full of tunes, with practically anything you could ever want at your disposal.

Want to know how to add music to an Instagram story? Our guide below has everything you need to know.

How to add music to an Instagram story

Adding music to an Instagram story on iOS or Android is easy using the app. The screenshots below were taken on the Android app, though the layout is exactly the same on iOS.

1. Open the Instagram app then tap the plus icon to create a new post, then tap STORY to create a story.

2. Create a story by taking a photo or recording a video as you usually would. When you're done, tap the sticker icon in the top-right.

3. On the sticker menu, tap the music sticker.

4. Tap Search music at the top, then enter the song or artist you want to search for. Once your song appears, tap it to add it to your story.

5. A 15-second clip of your chosen song has now been added to your story. To select a different part of the song, use the slider to find the part you want. 

You can also toggle the options on the screen to change how the lyrics appear (if any are available) or you can switch the lyrics off and have just the artist and song name appear instead.

Once you're happy with your selection, tap Done to post your story.

And that's all there is to it. Your Instagram stories will now be the talk of the internet. Just don't forget us when you get viral famous, OK?

Now you know how to add music to an Instagram story, take a look at how to post on Instagram from PC or Mac, how to save photos from Instagram, or how to change your Instagram password or reset it. If you want to buff up your power user knowledge on other apps, get started with out guide on how to use the Spotify equalizer on iOS and Android, how to make Spotify louder, how to turn off read receipts on WhatsApp and how to use the WhatsApp Android widget to keep a low profile and avoid sending read receipts.

Update: According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, "Apple has identified a fix for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max camera shake issue and a software update will be released next week."

The iPhone 14 Pro's camera sees a big jump from to 48 megapixels from 12MP, but apparently the latest transition hasn’t gone completely smoothly.

9to5Mac has spotted a number of reports of iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max users reporting unusable cameras in third-party apps. This is accompanied by ominous-sounding rattling or grinding noises.

The site has collected reports of issues in some of the most popular camera-focused apps, including Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram. “Picked up my new iPhone 14 pro yesterday and intermittently get ois camera shake (by shake I mean can see and hear it shaking) in Snapchat,” wrote one. 

“So I’ve been experiencing my camera shaking uncontrollably whenever I open Snapchat or use the camera for Instagram,” another wrote. “However, I don’t run into any issues when I use the regular camera app.”

This gives you an idea of what it’s like in practice:

And here’s another:

Frankly, it’s a bit of a headscratcher. Plenty of people (including myself, having just tried it with Instagram) can’t replicate the problem at all, which would suggest a hardware fault. Our global editor in chief Mark Spoonauer also could not replicated the rattling issue in Instagram. 

At the same time, none of the affected users appear to have an issue with Apple’s built-in camera app, which would suggest it’s something that third-party app makers need to address. But if that were the case, you would assume it would apply to every iPhone 14 Pro owner out there and it clearly doesn’t.

It’s not clear whether this is a few isolated cases or evidence of a wider issue, but we’ve reached out to Apple, Snap, TikTok and Instagram to ask about the problem, and will update this story if and when they get back to us.

But for now, affected users will have to play the waiting game. I wouldn’t recommend using the camera in affected apps until it’s clear one way or another what exactly the problem is.

Next: Facing another issue with your new iPhone 14? Check out our guide on all the bugs and issues so far on the iPhone 14 and when to expect a fix for them.