Instagram‘s top dog says they made an error by releasing an update which turned the app’s feed sideways, infuriating users who just wanted to scroll through posts the old-fashioned way.
[jwplayer KpBBVrCj]
Overnight, select users were hit with an update which forced them to tap and swipe through posts horizontally, mimicking the mechanism of the Instagram Story feature.
Users took to Twitter – another social media platform which has been maligned for its updates – to absolutely rag on the update. Some said the directional change made it more difficult to navigate through posts, while others complained that ads hosted on the app were harder to scroll past.
The hashtag #InstagramUpdate soon became the top trending topic in the United States.
@instagram your new update is disgusting. Fix this shit. Ruining the one app I actually liked. Don’t be snapchat. 😭#instagram #instagramupdate #byegirl
— Tanya Singh (@mainaisikyuhoon) December 27, 2018
I HATE the new @instagram . I am now forced to go through every image of a swipe as well as ads. That line at the top makes me even want to give up scrolling. Why are they always playing with things that people like?
— l. anderson (@Leomie_Anderson) December 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/cburbach16/status/1078315830100848640
I’ve already accidentally clicked on 3 @instagram ads with this new update- I see how they’re getting their money. #instagramupdate #trash
— The Book of Eli 4:44 (@XtreamEly) December 27, 2018
Some disgruntled users shared footage of the updated Instagram in action.
https://twitter.com/basmahxmde/status/1078333439869419521
One person who took to Twitter with footage of the freshened-up app was reporter Alex Heath.
His post caught the attention of Adam Mosseri, the man who bears the distinction of being Instagram’s Head of Product.
In his reply to Heath, Mosseri admitted the test was meant to be conducted on a small scale, “but we went broader than we anticipated.”
https://twitter.com/mosseri/status/1078321786586951680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1078321786586951680&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2018%2F12%2F27%2Finstagram-users-criticize-the-apps-new-horizontal-scrolling-feature.html
Shortly after, Mosseri confirmed the update was canned, and that the app had returned to its prior layout.
https://twitter.com/mosseri/status/1078322669307609088
In a statement obtained by several outlets, an Instagram spokesperson said “Due to a bug, some users saw a change to the way their feed appears today.
“We quickly fixed the issue and feed is back to normal. We apologize for any confusion.”
The short-lived update marks the app’s first attempt at a major shake-up since founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom left the Facebook-owned company in September.
The short-lived trial is also noteworthy as Facebook is, uh, essentially running out of people on Earth to sign up to its service. Instagram has long been touted as a new focus of the company’s growth, and users should probably expect things to change to accomodate that fact.
By the way, Mosseri had this to say about a return to Instagram’s long-gone chronological feed:
https://twitter.com/mosseri/status/1078325478233071616
Can’t win ’em all.
