From new ad formats to Instagram Shop upgrades, and user-experience tweaks Keep up with the latest Instagram updates and more.
Stay ahead of Instagram trends and give your marketing that extra edge. Here are the new Instagram updates for April 2021.
April 2021 Instagram updates
These are the top Instagram updates marketers should know about this month.
Instagram introduces Remix Reels inspired by TikTok Duets
At the beginning of April, Instagram added a “remix” option to Reels that allows creators to react to an existing public Reel. Similar features — Duets and Stitch — have been popular on TikTok for some time, inspiring Snapchat to test a remix option as well.
#Snapchat is working on the possibility of remixing friends' Stories 👀
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) March 25, 2021
ℹ️ You can choose between different layouts to create your snap. pic.twitter.com/VJcEtMc9Ea
Remix is enabled by default on Reels published from public accounts, but users have access to a disable option. When someone remixes a Reel, the original creator receives a notification.
Story drafts may soon come to Instagram
You asked and we're delivering… story drafts coming soon 📣
— Adam Mosseri 😷 (@mosseri) March 23, 2021
In late March, Instagram’s top boss Adam Mosseri and the app’s official comms Twitter account teased the release of a story drafts feature. “You asked and we’re delivering… story drafts coming soon,” said Mosseri.
Let's take a look at the upcoming Story Draft feature in #Instagram 👀 https://t.co/kA3DeWIIXm pic.twitter.com/CT8ORvIn5R
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) March 23, 2021
Most content, including Instagram Guides, can be saved o as a draft in the creation stage, except for Reels and Stories. According to screenshots leaked by mobile developer Alessandro Paluzzi, before exiting story creation mode, people will be given the option to save an in-progress Story to a drafts folder. Right now, users can “save” Stories by downloading them.
A save option could make it easier for people to add posts or pictures to Stories as backgrounds, which is currently something creators use hacks to do.
Instagram Lite now available on Android in more than 170 countries
As of March, a lite version of the Instagram app is now available for Android users in more than 170 countries, including the United States.
Designed to use minimal data and perform in areas with limited connectivity, the lite app does not include AR filters, Instagram shopping, ads, or the option to create Reels. It does still allow people to view Reels, which remain popular among lite users in India, where TikTok is banned.
IGTV ads land in Australia and UK
Instagram began testing IGTV ads last year in the United States and will now expand tests to select creators in Australia and the United Kingdom.
These mobile-first, 15-second video ads use a revenue share model much like on YouTube, with 55% of earnings given to creators. Instagram expects the format to be made available to more creators in new regions over the coming year.
