2021 Instagram Updates
Written by Trinity Duong
With all the changes happening within the Facebook Group, or should I say Meta, we can only look back fondly on how far Instagram has come this year. Every new year in comparison to the previous Instagram usually has shifted around with some gimmicks and updates however this year is special. The age of technology has really been forced upon us with isolation due to Covid-19. This has pushed us to finally embrace technology and its advances for us and 2021 is the “it” year for marketing campaigns through the new updates and features that Instagram provides.
Every month, or even week, we have constantly been shocked by a new feature Instagram has unveiled to us and we’ve needed to learn how to work with it in order to grow our image. Because there are so many we get lost in the pool of updates and forget how to work with the overall campaigning strategies. Now more than ever it is so important to keep up to date with the new functionalities of social media in order to continue growing your brand and services.
So how has Instagram changed? Today we’re going to be rounding up the most important updates that Instagram has featured in 2021.
January 2021
Instagram started 2021 off with the Professional Dashboard, which is available to all Business and creator Accounts on Instagram. This was an incredibly important update due to its ability to help creators and business owners see the insights and trends based on their performance.
February 2021
Instagram and Facebook created cross-app messaging, implementing video chat and resharing options across the different platforms.
Recently Deleted feature was implemented to help restore deleted content. This protects users from hackers as well because it can bring back archived content.
March 2021
In Live Rooms, you were able to host tutorials and/or Questions & Answers with your followers. Live Rooms also allows users to chat with up to 4 friends at the same time which became super useful during the pandemic.
April 2021
Stories Caption stickers are now able to convert verbal speech into written text. While only working in English-speaking countries at the moment they are planning to make this feature available in other languages and countries.
Audio and video can now be turned on and off on Instagram Live in order to protect privacy and offer more flexibility.
There is also a remix option for reels that allows users to include other user’s content in theirs creating a unique mix of footage from both accounts.
Instagram Insider was also created. This is a digital magazine that includes all the latest trends on the platform.
May 2021
Insights started applying to Reels and Lives.
The like counts were also turned off. This was a testing phase to see if this would benefit all users.
In the midst of a country torn over politics and racial bias Instagram also addresses their racial bias through an equity update. This identifies and captures racial bias in order to reduce harm to specific communities.
June 2021
Instagram implemented a security checkup in order to keep Instagram accounts safe.
The algorithm was also changed and it broke down the ranking factors that the platform uses to precut what most people are interested in.
In the height of a stiff competition with TikTok, Adam Mosseri explained that video will become the forefront media of Instagram.
July 2021
Text translation in stories in order to make content more accessible worldwide and eradicate language barriers.
Instagram also decided to expand its tracking data in analytics that created a tracking period of 30 to 60 days.
The app also introduced a title that shows which businesses on Instagram are black-owned, another way to show their solidarity with the current societal movements.
There was also a collaborative feature for Reels introduced which allows new content to be shared with each other's followers.
August 2021
More protection for users under 18 was implemented in order for the protection of their identity and possible misuse of their Instagram accounts.
They also introduced “Limits”, a feature that hides abusive messaging, and a new “audio” tab that helps discover reels that feature your songs.
Instagram also began testing its ads in the Shop tab.
September 2021
Instagram rolled out Map search which allows users to locate different businesses through a categorical search and hashtags.
They also rolled out a new method in order to create a verification badge.
The swipe-up links were also dropped and replaced with stickers.
“Montage” was introduced as a development phase allowing stories to become reels.
October 2021
Share link was made available to everybody.
Instagram also launched the “Collab” option in feed posts and reels.
Uploads through the desktop were also enabled.
More tools and data were introduced for better insight and to increase content partnerships.
November 2021
The deletion of a specific photo in Carousel posts was introduced.
Instagram Badges for live videos became eligible to all creators in the US.
“Add Yours” sticker was introduced to create public threads in Instagram stories.
December 2021
New tool to customize Link Stickers in Instagram stories. You are able to customize the link label text.
Instagram is now experimenting with Favorites and chronological post orders.
There is also a new safety feature that allows you to take a break and implement parental controls.
This is your 2021 Instagram Update roundup and we hope that now you can implement all these features into your business and marketing strategies.
