This week, TikTok vanished in the U.S. following the supreme court’s ban of the app. In anticipation of the ban, X, Bluesky and Instagram have made a few updates to their vertical video options to soften the blow. Despite this, TikTok is (temporarily) back up and running.
Meanwhile X users have rediscovered the 4K image feature, TikTok users are using a viral sound to share what really grinds their gears, and people are getting emotional over a cat-feeding app. Read on for more social media news.
TikTok goes dark in the U.S. – and returns shortly after
Image credit: Bobby Allyn/NPR
This rapidly evolving story continues to unfold, but as of now, here’s the latest: on Saturday night, TikTok went dark in the U.S. following a federal law banning the app. But the ban has now been delayed following action from President-elect Donald Trump. Trump issued a statement vowing to pause the law once he assumed office, adding that tech companies supporting TikTok’s return would not be punished. As users wait for the change to become official, the app can be used but is yet to reappear on Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
With the TikTok ban looming over the U.S., X has launched a dedicated vertical video feed. Users in the U.S. will see a new video tab on the platform’s bottom bar to quickly access videos and get back to their regularly scheduled scrolling. And the X vs Bluesky battle continues with Bluesky also adding a vertical video feed.
Meta has announced a new short-form video creation app called Edits. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has confirmed it’ll feature a dedicated tab for inspiration, a higher-quality camera, and the ability to share drafts with friends. The app is currently available to pre-order on the App Store, with a release date expected to be 13th March.”
Instagram has updated profile grids to have vertical thumbnails as opposed to the classic square ones. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, said the update has been made to match how the majority of people now use the app. This does mean that perfectly aligned grids are now a bit skewed, but Mosseri promises that Instagram will improve the ability to customise thumbnails to fix them.
Instagram has announced a new update for Reels, making it easier to see content that your friends and followers are engaging with. In the top-right corner of the Reels tab a button will appear with profile pictures of those who have engaged with the content, along with a little heart or conversation bubble to show what kind of interaction they had. There will also be a new reply bar at the bottom. These features are rolling out now in the U.S.
