No, Instagram is not switching to a horizontal feed
This morning, Instagram appeared to be rolling out–or at least testing–a new feed that could have you tapping and swiping rather than scrolling. A number of users reported seeing a horizontal feed that, like Instagram Stories, would require you to tap or swipe through posts.
The Instagram feed is a sideways swipe now pic.twitter.com/kqPsUvDQ5t
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) December 27, 2018
It looked like the new feed would display one post at a time and include a scroll bar at the top to indicate how far you have swiped. The design would presumably make it more difficult to scroll mindlessly through your Instagram feed—though countless users seem to have no problem swiping mindlessly through Instagram Stories.
In any case, you won’t have to weather a vertical feed just yet–or at all. Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri has since clarified that Instagram accidentally rolled out the test to more users than intended.
That was supposed to be a very small test that went broad by accident. Should be fixed now. If you’re still seeing it simply restart the app. Happy holidays! ????
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) December 27, 2018
Instagram’s statement: “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.” It’s still testing tap-to-advance with a small % of users in Explore.
— Josh Constine (@JoshConstine) December 27, 2018
But many Twitter users, as they are wont to do, had opinions on the potential change.
I know it seems awful but it is interesting to think about what a post-feed Instagram experience is like. Feeds are hell and cause us misery! Maybe the Scroll Era is ending and we’re in a Tap World now ????????????
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) December 27, 2018
NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS @instagram pic.twitter.com/VHCXrVupbr
— Paul Griffin (@PaulGriffin) December 27, 2018
Why kill the feed? In part people are tired of it on Instagram and FB (though some of this is algorithmic overkill IMHO). Also, easier and bolder ad environment = more $. Will that mean better user experience? Probably not.
— Noah (Suckers Says Steel Slats) Mallin (@NoahMallin) December 27, 2018
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????a chronological feed option |
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????making unnecessary updates— Shahbaz Khan (@ShahbazMKhan) December 27, 2018
Instagram clearly trying to figure out what to do with the main feed now that Stories are taking over
— Alex Fitzpatrick (@AlexJamesFitz) December 27, 2018
Fast Company , Read Full Story
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