In the immortal words of Derek Zoolander (who would have Watch Young Woman Bai Jiedefinitely loved Instagram), "who am I?"
Instagram is considering yet another big change to its platform. It is working on a prototype of the Stories feed that scrolls vertically, like TikTok.
Facebook, which owns Instagram, confirmed the new project to TechCrunch, which first reported the story after developer Alexander Puzzi posted a photo of the prototype on Twitter.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Puzzi told TechCrunch that he found the option while examining Instagram's backend code, and that it's not live yet.
A Facebook company spokesperson also confirmed the feature to Mashable over email, stressing that it is in the nascent stages of development.
"This is an early prototype and is not functional. This is not something we're currently testing on Instagram," the Facebook spokesperson said.
Currently, users scroll Instagram stories horizontally, tapping or swiping the right side of the screen to move forward or the left side to go backward. In contrast, TikTok's feed is vertical, so users swipe up to get to the next piece of content. Not so coincidentally, Instagram's dedicated Reels feed (Reels is Instagram's version of TikTok) is vertically oriented, as is its main posts feed.
Re-orienting Stories scrolling isn't the only big change potentially coming to Instagram. It also follows the platform's major home screen redesign from less than three months ago. In that change, Instagram created the Reels tab, and put it literally front and center. The change was a transparent attempt to give Reels a boost after people were mostly just confused about the new format.
Instagram is reportedly also considering doing away with the ability to share feed posts to stories. This would be another significant change to the platform, as stories has become the major way people share content from other users in their profiles.
What's with all the tinkering, Instagram? It's almost like the attempts to import TikTok's whole short-form viral video content ~thing~ into a platform with the pre-existing purpose of sharing photos isn't going as easily as planned!
As TechCrunch points out, the vertical format of Stories could be a first step to unifying Instagram's video content. Currently, posts, stories, Reels, and IGTV all host videos. There are too many options, and then too many redundant needs to re-share content into multiple parts of Instagram.
Plus, if Stories get closer to the same format as Reels, it's possible that they could eventually merge into one feed. This would send more people to Reels, which is great from an advertising perspective, since Reels generates an endless amount of mindlessly consumable content — not just content from the people you follow.
In its attempts to keep up with TikTok, is Instagram losing itself? Nah, that happened long ago.
Topics Facebook Instagram Social Media TikTok
Apple iPhone 17 Pro leaks highlight major new design change
Samsung shows off stretchable screen, and it's both awesome and weird
What's coming to Netflix in June 2017
A new Android attack with a cool name can wreak havoc on your phone
Dell S3422DWG Gaming Monitor deal: save $100 at Amazon
Little boy throws totally adorable tantrum after realizing golf is just too hard
The Warriors have been unbeatable since Klay Thompson fulfilled a weird autograph request
This dress is made of jeans, but it's way worse than it sounds
13 Good Games You Can Play on Laptops and Budget PCs
Song of the Summer talking points to sound like you know what you're talking about at BBQs
Best roborock deal: Save $400 on Q5 Pro+ Robot Vacuum and Mop
Everyone has fallen in love with this dad's letter to Ariana Grande
Fidget spinners, ranked by design
Juno sees something familiar looking out from Jupiter's rings
Skywatching is lit in May, says NASA
French officials investigating if Apple devices played a role in 2016 EgyptAir crash
Coke made a label that doubles as a wristband for music festivals
Listen to the largest planet in our solar system sing its song
The Made in America iPhone: How much would it cost?
If you have $900, you can pay to date Hello Kitty, because that's the world we live in now
How to teach sustainable habits to kidsSeth Rogen slipped into Donald Trump Jr.'s DMs to ask for his dad to resignTwitch shuts down the U.S. Army's fake giveaways for recruitmentTinder and Delta want to help you pretend to be a world traveler on your dating profile11 adorable twins to follow on Instagram if you can't get enough of Beyoncé's bey'Ghost of Tsushima': How to master the virtual samurai ways5 new Lyft features we are looking forward to9 of the most hilariously British reactions to the heat waveZoom just destroyed TikTok's download recordMan promises to get Angela Merkel tattoo on his butt for 10,000 upvotes, deliversTwitter shut down a Trump retweet thanks to Linkin ParkParamedic uses Google Live Transcribe to talk to lipreading patientsHow to cut ties with fast fashion when you really, really love clothesUber exec laments Uber's bad culture, doesn't mention Travis KalanickTrump is running attack ads against TikTok nowOh good, there's now a swimsuit with Donald Trump's face on itUber jumps through hoops to keep drivers 'independent contractors'Tinder and Delta want to help you pretend to be a world traveler on your dating profileSnap hires law firm to investigate racially insensitive incidentsBeyoncé's dad tweeted about the twins and is probably having a great Father's Day Recapping Dante: Canto 9, or Dial V for Virgil by Alexander Aciman Tinder says the future of dating is more honest and fluid Nail Art by Sadie Stein 'Oppenheimer' review: Ambitious, deeply Nolan, deeply flawed It Was Too Strong: An Interview with Todd Hido The High School Literature Zodiac Meet the women killing it on taxidermy TikTok Recapping Dante: Canto 8, or High Drama by Alexander Aciman How to watch the Premier League Summer Series: The best streaming deals to tune in live On Sylvia Plath’s “Nick and the Candlestick” Dave Jorgenson chats about life as the Washington Post TikTok guy, his love of Spam, and more Happy Belated by Sadie Stein A Downright Incantation by Sadie Stein Teeth Marks: Three Early Poems by Albert Cossery by Anna Della Subin Chrissy Teigen has quit Twitter Fitbit partners with Tile to help you find your fitness tracker Mark Zuckerberg, win this war with Elon Musk's Twitter Fourth Wall by Sadie Stein Happy Birthday, Sharon Olds by Sadie Stein Google Meet is testing AI
1.5082s , 8224.875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Watch Young Woman Bai Jie】,Charm Information Network