Instagram adds a musical twist to photo sharing, as well as other new features
If you, like me, attempted to post a photo on Instagram over the weekend, you might have noticed some changes to the platform. This is because Instagram unveiled several new features on Friday, including new ways to share content.
A new music feature allows users to add songs to their photo carousels. Before the introduction of this feature, the only way to add music to content on Instagram was via a story or a Reels post.
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Now when uploading a regular, still photo carousel, users can pick a song to go with it that will display on people's feeds, which is the location where the carousel was typically displayed.
The sound will also play as people scroll through their feeds, with the aim of creating a more dynamic scrolling experience.
This new music feature is very similar to TikTok's photo carousel, which has allowed users to share music with its photo slides since the feature debuted in September 2022.
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Collaborating with friends on posts also got a significant upgrade. Users can now invite up to three friends to collab with them, which is a significant increase from the prior invitation limit.
Whether via a regular feed post, a carousel, or a Reel, when a friend accepts an invitation to collaborate, it will show up on all of the collaborator's feeds, expanding the post's reach to each creator's audience.
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Lastly, Instagram added a new way for users to interact with their favorite creators through Reels. Creators can now invite their followers to join them on any prompt through the "Add Yours" sticker.
Once fans have made their submissions, which other fans can see if the user's account is public, the creator will have the opportunity to select users' Reels as one of their favorites, and the submission's creator will be notified.
Instagram says more music features will be coming to the platform, including a partnership with Spotify in Mexico and Brazil, which will feature 50 of the most popular songs on Instagram Reels in a Spotify music chart .