Social Throwback 2025: Instagram updates at a glance

Instagram underwent multiple changes throughout 2025, introducing new features and refining existing ones to reshape how users create, share, and discover content on the platform.

From the launch of Edits, a dedicated video editing app, to major algorithm adjustments and messaging enhancements, the year saw consistent updates aimed at creators and everyday users alike.

The platform expanded its recommendation systems, introduced new performance metrics, and made notable policy changes, including restrictions on hashtag usage and live streaming access.

This comprehensive timeline documents all major platform updates released between January and December 2025, tracking how the platform evolved over twelve months and the impact these changes had on content creation and user experience.

January 2025

• Instagram began the year by outlining factors that could reduce a post’s reach. These included content with watermarks, engagement bait, reused material, non-recommendable content and Reels longer than 90 seconds.
• Teased the launch of Edits, a video creation app positioned as an alternative to third-party editing tools.
• Introduced a new vertical thumbnail format for profile grids, replacing the traditional square image display.

• New performance metrics were introduced, including View Rate and Views Over Time. Instagram also clarified that creators would be notified if their account status changed, addressing concerns around shadow-banning.
• Chief Adam Mosseri has launched a new video series aimed at helping users improve their performance on the platform in 2025, with key factors being watch time, likes, and sends.  
• The platform explained how recommendations work, highlighting signals such as originality, watch time, audio usage and account status.
• introduced a series of updates to its direct messaging (DM) system, allowing users to translate messages in their DMs.
• Announced an update to its Reels feature, allowing users to create and upload videos up to three minutes long.
• Meta introduced business chat labels on Instagram to provide users with greater transparency regarding interactions with commercial entities on the platform.

February 2025

• More details were released about the Edits app, which includes AI tools, caption creators, an enhanced video quality camera, and collaboration tools.
• Instagram started testing an AI-powered task assignment feature within DMs, aiming to facilitate user interactions with AI beyond basic text responses.
• New DM features rolled out, including message translations, the ability to share favourite songs with friends, scheduled messages, and pinned messages and memes.

• The platform began testing a new button that could downrank comments, giving users a private way to signal they don't feel good about particular comments.
• Had plans to move highlights into the grid and add them as a tab, and added the ability to post directly to your grid, in case you want to bypass the feed entirely.
• Introduced a new feature within its Partnership Ads, allowing brands to display creator endorsements in the form of sponsored comments on promotional posts.

March 2025

• Instagram removed the option to add Notes to feed posts and Reels, reversing an update from the previous year.
• Tested feature to generate AI-powered comments on posts, eliminating the need for users to craft their own response.
• Introduced the Projects tab to manage multiple videos in Edits, a Cutouts tool to isolate elements in clips, and a Made with Edits label on edited videos.
• The platform added double-speed playback for Reels, allowing users to watch content at 2x speed.
• Introduced the repost feature that allows users to share posts directly to their followers’ feeds, expanding content reach beyond Stories.

April 2025

• Mosseri confirmed that a select group of creators was under beta testing for Edits, with plans for an initial, simplified version that was officially launched to the public later.
• Instagram began testing Story collabs through a new feature called Storylines, allowing users to link their stories with others.

• The Blend feature fully launched after extensive testing, enabling users to create shared feeds of recommended Reels with friends or groups.
• The platform tested new sorting filters, allowing users to sort reels on profiles by Most Viewed and Latest.
• Instagram started building lockable posts, a feature that would allow users to lock down specific posts unless viewers have a secret code.
• Testing began for monthly performance summaries, highlighting reach, shares, views, follower activity times, and ending with inspiration and tips.

May 2025

• Instagram introduced customised colours for Notes, allowing users to personalize their Notes with a colour and emoji.

• Officially launched its new lockable Reels feature, enabling creators to share content that is hidden behind a secret code. 
• Edits received multiple feature updates throughout the month, including auto-detected beat markers, animations, visual changes, and enhanced cropping options.
• New DM features arrived, including text transcription of voice messages and a quick follow-up option for group chats.
• Instagram began supporting 3:4 aspect ratio photos, the default size for most phone cameras, while still supporting square images and 4:5 aspect ratio images.

June 2025

• Introduced a feature that allows users to share the music they are listening to on Spotify directly within Instagram Notes.

• The Edits teleprompter feature was officially released, allowing creators to use an in-app teleprompter while filming.
• Edits received an AI-powered video editing tool called Restyle, which uses preset AI prompts to change video context. The tool was initially free with 50 prompts available for testing.
• Instagram added additional comment filters for accounts with 100,000 or more followers, including top comments, newest first, and follower count.
• New Edits features continued rolling out weekly, including transitions, tracking handle sensitivity, applying volume changes to all clips, keyframes, an upgraded ideas tab, text effects, and voice enhancement.
• Instagram posts were announced to start appearing in Google Search results, expanding content visibility beyond the platform.

July 2025

• Edits added more features, including new insights, voice enhancements, and destinations. The Ideas Tab received updates, allowing users to save audio and leave sticky notes.
• Trial Reels expanded access to all public profiles with at least 1,000 followers.
• The platform began testing new carousel-like insights, allowing some users to see which frame in their carousel received likes.

• Instagram tested an auto-scroll option for browsing content.
• It restricted its live stream feature to users with 1000 followers.
• Edits continued, adding new features throughout the month, including a royalty-free music discovery tab, expanded keyframe editing capabilities for iOS users, and 10 additional voice effects.
• Expanded access to its direct message (DM) translation and scheduling features, making the tools available to a wider set of business users on the platform.

August 2025

• Instagram updated its performance indicators, including granular data for Reels, new carousel post analytics, and post-level demographic data.
• Rolled out features including Reposts, The Map and a Friends tab in Reels to make content sharing and user interaction easier.
• Adam Mosseri addressed whether screenshot numbers could be included in Instagram insights through a video response.
• It added new metrics for Reels, including retention and replacing view rate with skip rate.

• Introduced new feature for Reels creators to effectively build their own series by linking Reels clips to one another in-stream.
• Tested Picture-in-Picture (PiP) playback for the app's reels section, which was said to enable users to continue watching reels outside the app.

September 2025

• Users gained the ability to pin their own comments on Instagram posts, a highly requested feature.
• Additional Edits features rolled out, including keyframes for opacity and converting clips to overlay.
• Users could manage DMs with multi-select filters and create new inbox folders for a simplified experience.
• Instagram launched an iPad app, expanding device compatibility.

• The platform released a new ranking framework for notifications, aiming to deliver more diverse, better curated, and less repetitive notifications.
• The platform announced potential testing for a new feature that lets users control topics shown in Reels, allowing them to add or remove interests and exclude unwanted topics.

October 2025

• Expanded its Map feature to India, allowing users to share their last active location with selected friends.
• Announced that all teen accounts will now default to a PG-13 content setting, meaning teens will see material comparable to what is allowed in a PG-13 movie. 

• The platform introduced a ‘Rings’ award to recognise creative talent, with winners receiving both physical and digital rings on their profiles.
• Users gained the ability to draw on their DM screens and add stickers and emojis directly in conversations.
• Instagram launched a Watch History feature, making it easier to find previously viewed reels.

November 2025

• Introduced a new ‘Competitive Insights’ feature to its Professional Dashboard, allowing business and creator accounts to compare their performance with similar profiles.

• Expanded Meta AI translations for Reels to five additional Indian languages, with new Indian fonts to its editing tools.
• Edits continued its rapid feature releases with improved caption editing, new effects, a Stranger Things font, masks for advanced animation, and volume ducking.
• Introduced new features to Edits such as still image animation, a Boomerang-style reverse play option, and over 400 new sound effects.

December 2025

• Meta rolled out Reels algorithm controls to US users, giving creators more control over what appears in their feed.
• Users gained the ability to share public Instagram Stories they're not tagged in to their own story with a simple tap.
• The platform added five new Insights metrics, including Reels Skip Rate, repost counts and profile visits, updated cross-posted views data, and made changes to its Content Publishing API.
• It began testing a television app that brings its short-form video feature, Reels, to the big screen.

• Announced limit the number of hashtags allowed in posts and reels to five, as part of efforts to curb spam and reflect changes in how users discover content on the platform.
• Meta expanded access to its new manual algorithm-control feature for Instagram Reels, rolling it out to all users in the United States, which allows users to directly adjust the topics that shape their Reels recommendations.

• Introduced new templates and storyboards to Edits, allowing users to turn trending ideas into videos, build stories with storyboards.
• Meta announced new support features and security updates for Facebook and Instagram, including a centralised help hub and expanded use of artificial intelligence to prevent account hacks.