Instagram is testing a new Early Access feature that lets creators post a Reel exclusively for their followers for the first 24 hours before it becomes public.

Instagram is rolling out a “New” label that appears on recently uploaded posts, helping users quickly identify the latest content on creator and brand profiles. The feature will become even more valuable once Instagram enables grid post reordering.

Facebook introduced Content Protection, a mobile tool that helps creators safeguard their original Reels. Creators can enroll to automatically protect new Reels and manually add older ones.

Instagram updated its Reels camera. Creators can now record up to 20 minutes, use an undo button to remove clips, customize touch-ups, and get a smoother green screen, along with refreshed timer and countdown tools.

Instagram is testing skippable ads on Reels again. These ads include a countdown timer in the top-right corner signaling when an ad is about to start. Once it does, viewers can tap “Skip” to return to the Reel.

Music has become synonymous with the social media experience. It drives trends, fuels engagement, and adds personality to short-form video content, which makes up the bulk of today’s feeds. Whether you are scrolling TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts, chances are the video you are watching is paired with a song. In fact, 85% of videos on TikTok, 84% of videos on YouTube, 58% on Instagram, and 49% on Facebook contain at least 10 seconds of music.

Instagram has crossed 3 billion monthly active users, joining Facebook and WhatsApp at this major milestone. For all the talk about it “dying,” the platform remains deeply embedded in culture and continues to grow.

Instagram will soon launch a new Shareable Insights feature for its video editing app, Edits.

At Meta Connect, Meta announced several new smart glasses and metaverse technologies. Along with a second generation of its flagship Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and the Oakley Meta Vanguard designed for athletes, it revealed the Meta Ray-Ban Display, a new category of smart glasses featuring an in-lens display.

Google is updating the Discover feed in its Search app. In the coming weeks, users will see more creator-driven content, including Instagram posts, X posts, YouTube Shorts, as well as traditional articles and stories. Google says more platforms will be added, with my predictions being TikTok, LinkedIn, and Substack content as next.

The creator marketing industry is set to hit $500 billion by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs. The sheer amount of money flowing into the space reflects the impact creators are having on businesses today and their growing influence on purchase decisions across every demographic.

Instagram has officially launched a native iPad app, which has long an afterthought for the platform.