Instagram News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Security researchers have discovered a vulnerability in Apple products that can be abused to force the Safari browser to leak a user’s login credentials and other sensitive data to a hacker.

The debate over “reaction” content on YouTube has been brewing for years, but a recent incident between two creators has refueled the urgency of the conversation.

Remember back in the day when you could set it up so that your tweets automatically posted to Facebook? Facebook killed that functionality with an API crackdown in 2018, but it's revisiting the idea in a bid to drum up interest in its Twitter alternative, Threads. And a lot of people hate it.

In a shocking move, more than 30 US States, including California, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and others, have filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms over the allegations of using features in Instagram and Facebook to lure children to the platform and get them hooked on harmful content. The lawsuit also alleges that Meta also exploited minors for its own profit. The lawsuit is the latest in the growing scrutiny of social media platforms over how they treat the youth and safeguarding measures to protect them from harmful content.

2023 seems to be the year of premium subscriptions in the social media space. Shortly after Elon Musk owned X (formerly Twitter) came out with paid verification through its X Premium subscription, Meta also introduced the Meta-verified program. But unlike X, these premium Meta users who shell out $11.99 on the web or $14.99 in iOS and Android apps, do not have many exclusive features to themselves. It appears that Meta is starting to change that and one of its efforts is the new feature Instagram is testing where it will offer a verified-only feed to give more visibility to businesses and creators.

Blizzard has announced a rather unusual competition in which players can win a PC infused with real human blood.

Twitch is further broadening its simulcast rules, the livestream platform announced on Friday. As shared during TwitchCon in Las Vegas, streamers can now live broadcast streams onto even more platforms — YouTube and Kick, for example. That said, streamers with an “agreement with Twitch that requires exclusivity” won’t be able to do so.

If you love sending stickers on Instagram DMs and putting them in your reels, then there's great news for you. Instagram has been testing the feature that lets you create custom stickers from your photos! The Meta-owned platform has been testing a lot of features lately, with an option to create lists for stories, and giving users more control over their data and privacy. It has also recently added a feature that lets users add music to photo carousels, not just single photos. These features promise to enhance the user experience, and it could get more intuitive with the new custom stickers. Know all about it.

You may have felt it: Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are all competing for an increasingly overlapping user base as social media platforms all introduce similar features.

Ind vs Nz: Today is an exciting day for cricket fans as India and New Zealand face off in the ICC World Cup 2023. The match is happening in Dharamshala, and it's expected to be a thrilling contest between the two top teams. India won the toss and decided to bowl first.

Garena Free Fire MAX Redeem Codes for October 22: Exciting times are ahead for Free Fire MAX players! Some fresh leaks have spilled the beans on what the game developers have up their sleeves. Get ready for two cool events heading your way soon: Play Night Hunter and Igloo Wall,

This week Meta rolled out a new way for you to control how Instagram tracks your web activity.

Twitch streamers can now simultaneously share streams on a wider selection of live platforms.

On Friday, October 20, popular live streaming platform Twitch hosted day 1 of TwitchCon, its semi-annual gaming convention in Las Vegas. During the keynote session, the company announced a number of new updates that included new features for streamers, and viewers, as well as updation of its policies. During the event, Twitch also announced that it will finally allow the non-exclusive streamers to simulcast (simultaneously stream on different live streaming platforms at the same time). This comes as a breath of fresh air for some of the big-name content creators on the platform who were forced to stream at different schedules on different platforms.

The Battlegrounds Mobile India is now running on a Zombie Edge theme after the release of the 2.8 update. Now the game has been introducing various zombie and Halloween-themed rewards such as outfits, gun skins, parachutes, etc. A few days back we saw the new Wicked Night Crate and now they announced the “Box of Horrors” with its latest “Skull crate.” The new crate comes with amazing spooky rewards that you might want to get your hands on. Know how you can get the new crate and themed outfit.

Last week, we asked you to spotlight Basim from Assassin’s Creed Mirage using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: 

The nature of celebrity has drastically changed. The seismic shift of the digital age means I can go into a room and bring up Hasan Piker’s name to a group of people. Half will know who he is and their eyes will light up. The other half will falter and look clueless.

Artifact, the news aggregation platform developed by Instagram's co-founders, has been getting more and more features lately powered by artificial intelligence (AI). On September 13, a new feature called Links was announced that allows users to post links and view a more personalized feed based on their interests. At the Code Conference, the platform also rolled out the feature that lets users create posts, with the aim of making Artifact a place for much more than just reading the latest headlines. Now, its cofounders have announced that Artifact is introducing the ability to share recommended places.

CRKD's Nitro Deck is getting a new collection of limited edition variants, and they greatly appeal to my Game Boy Color-loving self with a gorgeous see-through look that was all the rage back in the 90s and early 2000s.

Since the day of its launch, Meta's latest addition to its social media apps i.e. Threads, is continuously in the news. First due to its amazing initial popularity and then the quickly receding user count. Worryingly, for Meta, after the grand launch and increase in the number of Threads users, the excitement quickly slowed down after some time. There was a huge reduction in the number of active users on the platform. Since then, Meta has been rolling out useful updates and now, it is looking to promote it in other ways too in order to amplify the number of active users on the platform.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is finally here and a lucky few of you (probably more than a few, actually) have likely been playing the game for a few hours by now. The sequel builds on the first two games in Insomniac's Spider-Man series, adding some famous characters from the Spider-Verse into the mix. Most notably Venom, and if you missed out on the 19 inches of him PlayStation was handing out with the collectors' edition, perhaps the newly-revealed collectible action figure from Hot Toys will interest you.

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Instagram, is making it easier for users to protect their online privacy. Now, Instagram users can themselves prevent the platform from tracking their online activities as they have the control over the feature. This move comes as Meta aims to address concerns about mishandling user data and misleading privacy agreements.

Though this was the year "everything changed," Gartner Fellow Leigh McMullen was looking to the future at this week's Gartner Symposium, laying out the company's strategic predictions for 2024.

Sometimes, it’s hard to know what to make of Twitch. On the one hand, the streaming platform is experiencing peak viewership, but on the other, the company is reportedly laying staff off. Still, it’s business as usual, and it looks as though the Amazon-owned company now wants a slice of that social media pie.

Formula E is launching its first ever official video game, leveraging blockchain technology and NFTs.

The main objective of Coin Master is building your village by spinning a slot machine and collecting coins to buy upgrades. You can also raid and attack other players’ villages to steal some of their coins. Random events and other mechanics, like card collecting, tournaments, and pet management, also add some variety to the game.

Yet again, NASA has mesmerized the world with its beautiful images of the space glories. The NASA Hubble space telescope is known for studying and capturing images of celestial objects that are present in our galaxy and beyond. Over the years, we have seen its abilities and despite being an observer of the near space for decades, it continues to bring breathtaking images to us. Recently NASA shared images of a giant red nebula (NGC 2014) alongside its smaller blue companion (NGC 2020), which looks like a cosmic reef against the vast backdrop of the dark space. Check what the image captured by Hubble demonstrates.

When Meta demoed its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, it touted the ability to livestream, record video, and play music. Then, at its recent Meta Connect event, it unveiled one more thing. You can speak to it a conversational tone and the AI will fetch you answers to your questions.

Twitch has today launched its new Stories feature on the platform's mobile app.

I remember the good old days, when each of the three or four giant social media platforms offered a somewhat unique experience. Snapchat was good for quick and erasable goofs. Instagram actually showed you cute photos of your friends, instead of just ads. Facebook carved out a niche for the being the only platform that allowed for both Minion memes and the vast extraction of private user data. Now, the differences between them seem to narrow by the day, a trend that the livestreaming platform Twitch appears to be continuing with a newly announced stories feature.

Mortal Kombat 1's first Kombat Pack includes three comic-book characters, Peacemaker, Omni-Man (from Invincible), and Homelander (from The Boys). All three have appeared in TV adaptations over the past few years, with the first two played by John Cena and J. K. Simmons respectively. They're both reprising their roles for MK1, but there's still no word on whether Antony Starr will.

Minors and parents suing Meta Inc.'s Facebook and other technology giants for the kids' social media platform addictions won an important ruling advancing their collection of lawsuits in a California court.

The X-rival (formerly Twitter) social media platform by Meta called Threads has been adding new features to the platform on a regular basis. Recently, the company added a web client and the functionality to search for posts using keywords to the platform. And just hours ago, it received two new big features. The Instagram-powered platform has now added the feature to edit posts and add audio posts which are being called Voice Threads. Interestingly, the edit feature is available for free, unlike X, which is offering it only to X Blue subscribers who pay a monthly fee of $7.99.

New York would restrict the way online platforms like Instagram and YouTube can collect and share children's personal information and let parents keep their kids from being bombarded by “addictive” feeds from accounts they don't follow, under legislation proposed Wednesday.

Still remember Threads, Mark Zuckerberg’s competitor to Twitter? The app is finally getting an edit button for posts. But unlike Twitter/X, users won’t have to pay for it. 

If your iPhone turns off at night for no reason, you are not alone. Some users have reported that their iPhone temporarily turns off overnight which can cause some features to stop working as they should. Apple recently released iOS 17.0.3 to the general public, fixing one of the most crucial issues on the iPhone 15 Pro models. While the update did fix one issue, it brought another to the table.

Since its debut on July 6, Threads has taken the world by storm, becoming the fastest platform ever to reach 100 million users, a feat that it took just 5 days to achieve. It is Instagram's answer to Elon Musk-owned X, which has undergone a myriad of changes since the acquisition by him. Users have considered some of the moves as draconian and have looked at alternate platforms to switch to, of which Threads has taken full advantage. However, the latest comments by Instagram head Adam Mosseri might spell bad news for the platform in its attempts to compete against X in the race to become the top microblogging site in the world.

Battlegrounds Mobile India recently launched one of its biggest updates - the Halloween theme. The new update features rewards, abilities, zombie mode, and much more. The update just started kicking off and the game introduced its collaboration with Hardik Pandya. BGMI has been teasing the event for a long time and now it's finally available in the game. Are you a cricket fan? Then enter the Hardik Pandya event and grab his exclusive crate and win amazing in-game rewards. Check the details below.

Jason Momoa is leaving Aquaman behind and entering James Gunn's DC Universe as Lobo.

AI is the hot topic in tech right now, and Adobe is using its Max conference this year in Los Angeles to promote its own Firefly image-generating AI technology.

The details of the first five Lego Animal Crossing sets have been leaked.

Since its debut on July 6, Threads has been working hard to compete with X (formerly Twitter) in the race to become the top microblogging platform. While Threads enjoyed a burst in popularity at launch, becoming the fastest-ever platform to reach 100 million users, it has somewhat died down since then. The initial surge in traffic was attributed to glaring issues on X as well as people getting fed up with several of Elon Musk's draconian measures. However, Threads still lacks several features that have made X extremely popular over the last few years.

Battlegrounds Mobile India has started teasing the exciting new 2.8 update. Although the release date has not been announced yet, the game has officially revealed the theme of the 2.8 update - it is bringing back the zombie theme. Furthermore, the game shared a podcast that featured popular BGMI personalities who have set the stage for the new update. Know more about the podcast and the giveaway it offers to the players.

The custom controller space returns to EGX next week, offering a variety of strange, wonderful and one-of-a-kind ways of playing games - including cranks, wheels, a firelighter, a morse code tapper, and dozens of big, glowing buttons. Many of these games and controllers are only available to play at the show, so grab your ticket for EGX now.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max managed to outpace the Galaxy S23 Ultra in an earlier speed test, holding a minuscule lead of only four seconds at the end of two laps. In the latest battery drain test, both flagships are comparable to one another, but once again, Apple’s top-tier offering for this year retains the crown for having the highest endurance, but it was not always the smoothest run for the device.

Last week, we asked you to take a break and share moments resting in a game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: 

Hype has been steadily building for the imminent arrival of the Meta Quest 3, but an industry analyst has poured cold water over the impending launch with some shocking allegations about expected sales figures for the VR headset.

Instagram is getting another new feature. The platform is testing a feature for Stories which are the vertical, full-screen photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. With this new feature, users will be able to share posts with customizable smaller audience lists outside of Close Friends. This new feature is currently in testing mode, meaning it has not been rolled out anywhere, but the announcement means that deployment should not take too long.

Apple's new iPhone 15 Pro models pack a lot of power thanks to the latest A17 Pro chip and upgraded RAM, Initial benchmarks of the A17 Pro reveal faster CPU and GPU performance. While the design and internal design are slightly tweaked, users have been reporting that their units are overheating. Apple is aware of the issue and has released iOS 17.0.3 with a fix for the overheating issue on the iPhone 15 Pro models. After testing the latest update, a user came to the conclusion that the issue had not been fixed.

October 6, 2023: Telltale Games has now confirmed the layoffs in a statement on its Instagram page that reads: “Due to current market conditions, we regrettably had to let some of our Telltale team go recently. We did not take this action lightly, and our commitment to storytelling and finding new ways to do so remains the same. We are grateful to everyone for their dedication along this journey, and we are working to support everyone impacted. All projects currently in development are still in production, and we have no further updates at this time.”

Nintendo UK just announced an exciting new update for Animal Crossing fans, as the beloved cozy game will be made just that little bit more real thanks to a new crossover with LEGO. 

One Piece co-showrunner Matt Owens really wants Jamie Lee Curtis to join the One Piece crew. 

Apple Inc. rolled out a software update Wednesday to address an overheating issue that plagued some early buyers of the iPhone 15 Pro line. The update, called iOS 17.0.3, is available as an over-the-air fix in the software update section of the iPhone settings app. The release notes say the update “provides important bug fixes, security updates, and addresses an issue that may cause iPhone to run warmer than expected.” The update was also released for older iPhones as well as iPads.

Apple has finally released an update to fix the iPhone 15 Pro's overheating issue. The latest update is a rapid response from Apple considering the number of complaints users have filed over Apple's Support Community and Reddit. Apple has released iOS 17.0.3 for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max that were overheating for no reason at all.

Joker director Todd Phillips marked four years since the movie's release by sharing a new look at the upcoming sequel.

Are you experiencing shorter battery life than expected with your iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro or any other iPhone in the series? You're not alone. After a huge anticipation for iPhone 15 models, customers were really excited to buy these premium models. However, some users are experiencing the battery-draining issues.

Hollywood veteran Tom Hanks has warned his fans about a dental plan advertisement that is using an "AI version" of him.

Tom Hanks is warning everyone on the internet that he is not trying to sell you a dental plan, but an AI version of him is.

Meta used public Instagram and Facebook posts to train parts of its new AI assistants; however, the company stopped short of including private posts with family and friends and private chats on its messaging service, Reuters reports.

Apple’s latest concern in China might not be over its actual phones but instead over the apps that run on them.

In a bid to enhance user interaction and streamline access to various features, Google is currently experimenting with a fresh look for the Android version of its beloved YouTube app. The test entails replacing the familiar "Library" tab with a novel "You" tab and relocating the user's avatar or profile picture to the bottom navigation bar.

Apple has acknowledged the overheating issues present on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max and intends to fix them in the form of a future iOS 17 software update. The company likely investigated the matter and has concluded that some third-party applications are also culpable. It appears that the newest A17 Pro was not the problem after all, but it cannot be ignored that compared to the A16 Bionic, it tends to consume a little more power when under load.

The future is here! Just imagine glasses that let you share videos on Facebook and Instagram without even touching your phone! Well, that's exactly what Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has done in partnership with Ray-Ban. They've just introduced the Meta Smart Glasses, and they're like something out of a science fiction movie. These glasses are here to make your life more exciting and connected.

In Celebration of the Chinese 2023 Mid-Autumn Moon Festival on September 29th, Blizzard Taiwan has sent out a Wrath-themed gift box to friends and family that is based on their traditional puppet show retelling the fall of Arthas and subsequent rise as the Lich King. Blizzard Taiwan's Story of Arthas Puppet Production The gift box contains two kinds of traditional festival snacks themed after Arthas Menethil and Muradin Bronzebeard as well as a miniature Frostmourne replica. Instagram user laira918 provided photos of the gift box.

In the same way that YouTube and Instagram are pushing vertical short-form video to try and keep up with Tiktok, it seems Call of Duty wants to emulate Fortnite as a game where you can be Goku doing the Griddy. CoD will be introducing skins straight out of Diablo 4 and other out-there fictional universes in its upcoming Halloween-themed season.

By Sean Hollister, a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.

Last week, we asked you share moments basking in the moonlight of a game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: 

Canopy Evergreen is a really cool card drafting and set collection experience where you will be planting and growing trees on your own personal board. The experience and components look fantastic, so we were instantly intrigued! We asked designer Tim Eisner a few questions about the game, check them out below! You can check Canopy Evergreen kickstarter page as well for additional details.

At the Meta Connect Keynote, it wasn't all VR headsets and Snoop Dogg-powered AIs. Meta is looking to turn everyone into an IRL streamer by announcing the new Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses that will let wearers livestream to their followers and allow for some first-person POV filming.

Meta Platforms Inc. is introducing artificial intelligence features to its apps that will give the company's 3 billion users an experience akin to OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Garena Free Fire MAX Redeem Codes for September 28: After weeks of anticipation, the Demon Slayer bundle in Garena Free Fire MAX is finally here! As part of it, players can grab exclusive bundles, skins, and more in the game. It is one of the biggest collaborations in the game recently and follows another big collaboration with Devil May Cry 5 which occurred in February. Check out what's on offer.

Get ready to encounter chatbots based on human celebrities.  

Update: Meta’s moved the start time by 30 minutes to 10:30AM PT/1:30 PM ET. No explanation why, but the sun’s blazing on the presentation area, and crowds are milling about. If you’re virtual, you have a few options for watching. The most accessible appears to be Meta’s developers page. (Original article continues below.)

Meta unveiled the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses today at its Meta Connect event in its continuing quest to blend optical fashion with technology.

The Meta Quest 3, which launches on Oct. 10, goes beyond VR to also offer mixed reality experiences. "It is the most powerful headset yet,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at today's Meta Connect conference.

 Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday is set to update investors on his plan to build the immersive metaverse that he has pitched as the future of computing at the company's first in-person conference since the start of the pandemic.

The rise of Instagram's Threads has been nothing short of astronomical. Meta Platforms capitalized on the myriad of changes going on at X by introducing its own microblogging platform, and it took the world by storm, becoming the fastest platform to reach 100 million users - a feat that it took just 5 days to achieve. While users are enjoying this new social media platform, one particular problem has troubled them since the beginning - the ability to delete Threads accounts. As of now, if you wish to delete your Threads account, you will have to lose your Instagram account too. To solve this issue, Meta has promised to bring the new feature in December, however, it does not want you to leave the Threads app.

In news that is sure to thrill Elon Musk, European regulators say that Twitter is currently the biggest source of disinformation. 

Meta’s annual Connect conference kicks off with a keynote tomorrow September 27 at 10AM PT/1PM ET.  Facebook’s parent is expected to make the Meta Quest 3 the centerpiece of the event. The latest version of the headset arrives three years after its predecessor and a little under a year since the company unveiled the Quest Pro — a mixed-reality headset aimed at enterprise users.