With more than 100 million monthly active users, Instagram is one of the most popular social networks. However, to keep it that way and to facilitate interaction and communication between users, it recently updated the settings of its main feed and messages.

We explain exactly what this new Instagram update is all about and how the new features can improve the user experience.

What are favourite users on Instagram?

Instagram has added a favourites feature, which allows users to indicate the accounts whose content they find most interesting. In the feed, all posts from favourite accounts will appear first and in chronological order. That is, at the top of the feed, before suggested posts and posts from other followed accounts.

To mark an account as a favourite, simply go to the user's profile, click on "Following" and select "Add to favourites". If done correctly, that account will appear in the feed with a star icon.

Only 50 accounts can be added to the favourites list at the moment. It is a modifiable list, so at any time you can remove a favourite to add another one. In addition, Instagram has ensured that the user will not receive notifications when they become or become someone's favourite account.

Differences between tracking and favourites

With this new feature, there is a difference between Follow and Favourites. The first term refers to all those users who are followed, so their posts will still appear in the feed in chronological order. However, they will always follow content published by those accounts that have been marked as favourites.

This new feature is designed to give users more control over what they see in their feed, as Instagram hopes to improve their experience within the app.

New messaging features on Instagram

The other new feature is related to messaging, which was one of the most disliked parts for users who preferred to use other applications to communicate with family and friends. The new features aim to make communication between users more personal and engaging.

Respond while browsing

It is now possible to reply while browsing. This means that you can reply to a message without leaving your current location, creating a more seamless user experience. Until now, the user had to choose whether to continue consuming content or leave it in order to reply. Users will also be able to see who is online at the top of the inbox, so they can easily engage in conversation, however this online status option can be changed by the user to hide it.

Easier to share content

Another new feature is that Instagram now allows you to share content with friends in a much quicker and easier way. All that is required is to tap and hold the share button, and you can send that content to your friends.