Instagram : Feed (basic functions)

How Instagram Feed Works

Instagram Feed is a place where you can share and connect with the people and things you care about. When you open Instagram or refresh your feed, the photos and videos we think you care about most will appear towards the top of your feed. In addition to seeing content from people and hashtags you follow, you may also see suggested accounts that are relevant to your interests.

What posts do I see in my Instagram feed?

All posts from accounts you follow on Instagram will appear in your feed. Instagram does not hide posts from the people you follow.

How does Instagram determine the order of posts in my feed?

Instagram’s technology uses different ways, or signals, to determine the order of posts in your feed. These signals are used to help determine how your feed is ordered, and may include:

• Likelihood you’ll be interested in the content
• Date the post was shared
• Previous interactions with the person posting

Why am I seeing an older post in my Instagram feed?

At times, you might see a post from a few days ago in your feed. This is to make sure you don’t miss a post from someone you follow.

How can I see when a photo or video was posted on Instagram?

You can see when a photo or video was posted by looking at the bottom of the post, below the caption and comments.

How do I like a photo or video on Instagram?

Just double tap a photo or video to like it or tap  below the post. If you’ve accidentally liked a post, tap  again to unlike it.

When you unlike a post, the story that you liked the photo or video will disappear from Activity. If the person who shared the post has push notifications turned on, they’ll still get the notification that you liked the photo or video.

How can I save posts I see on Instagram?

To save a post, tap  below it. When you save a post, it’s visible to you from a private section of your profile.

To save a post to a collection, tap and hold . Then, select a collection you’ve already created or tap  to create a new one.

To see posts you’ve saved and the collections you’ve created, go to your profile, tap  and then tap Saved. Only you can see the posts you’ve saved. When you save someone’s post, they’re not able to tell that you’ve saved it.

How do I turn notifications on or off for someone I follow on Instagram?

When you turn on notifications for someone you follow, you’ll get a notification every time that they share a photo or video. To turn notifications on or off:

1. Go to their profile.
2. Tap Following > Notifications.
3. Tap  next to one of the following to turn notifications on or off:
   • Posts
   • Stories
   • IGTV
   • Live Videos

If you’d like to turn notifications on or off for multiple people, you’ll have to visit each profile and turn them on or off individually. Keep in mind that you may get a push notification when someone you follow shares something for the first time in a while, whether or not you have notifications turned on for that person.

People aren’t notified when you turn notifications on or off for them.

How do I reply to someone in a comment thread on Instagram?

Reply to someone in a comment thread by mentioning them in your comment. They’ll get a notification in their activity feed to view the comment.

To reply to someone:

1. Go to the photo or post.
2. Tap Reply below any comment and add your comment.
3. Tap Post.

How do I unlike a photo on Instagram?

If you’ve accidentally double tapped or tapped  below a post, you can remove the like by tapping  again.

Things to keep in mind:

• Very soon after you remove a like, the like alert will disappear from other people’s Activity.
• If you’ve accidentally liked a photo and then unliked it, the person who posted it will still get a push notification if they have notifications turned on.
• If you like, unlike and then re-like a photo, the person who posted will only receive one Activity alert for the latest like and one push notification for the initial like if they have push notifications turned on.

How do I turn sound on or off when watching videos?

To turn sound on or off while watching a video, tap anywhere on the video while it’s playing.

You can also turn sound on by pressing the volume buttons on your phone while a video is playing. Once the sound is on, you can use the buttons to adjust the volume.

How do I zoom in on photos and videos on Instagram?

You can zoom in on any photo or video you see in Feed, on someone’s profile or on the grid in Search & Explore. To zoom in on a photo or video, pinch using two fingers

How does Instagram decide which ads to show me?

We want to show you ads from businesses that are interesting and relevant to you, and to do that, we use information about what you do on Instagram and Facebook (our parent company) and on third-party sites and apps you use. For example, you might see ads based on the people you follow and things you like on Instagram, your information and interests on Facebook (if you have a Facebook account), and the websites and apps you visit.