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Hello, geeks!
So…. Instagram latest copy/paste app has dropped globally. Instants.
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And while I am almost definitely not Adam Mosseri’s target market here, I’m not convinced this one has legs.
It’s basically a clone of an app that already failed to sustain mainstream traction, BeReal, which itself was riffing on the addictive mechanics of Snapchat, which for teens is basically messaging app crack.
The problem? Instants doesn’t seem to add enough new functionality, novelty, or reason to exist beyond: “What if BeReal, but Instagram?”
Bold.
Check out my deeper dive on Instants later in this week’s Geekout.
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Meta Subscription Fever
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Meta product managers appear to have discovered the subscription button and are now repeatedly smashing it.
Meta Verified launched in 2023. ad-free Facebook and Instagram plans arrived in the UK and Europe last year.
Earlier this week, WhatsApp started rolling out WhatsApp Plus, with paid perks like custom themes, app icons, premium sticker packs, and more.
But Meta looks like it’s only getting warmed up.
According to Meta’s App Store listings for Threads and WhatsApp, new in-app purchase options for “No Ads” have appeared.
Pricing goes up to £14.99/month for ad-free experiences on 5 accounts.
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Which feels… ambitious.
That’s a big ask for most users, especially when the core benefit is simply removing something people already dislike.
But lets be honest, Meta is only offering these ad-free plans in limited markets under duress from EU regulators.
The more intriguing move is Meta AI…
A premium Meta AI subscription also appears to be in the works, though there are no clear details yet on what users would actually get for the money.
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At around £20/month, Meta will need a very strong reason for people to choose it over ChatGPT or Claude, both of which already have established paid plans and much clearer utility.
For now, it feels like Meta is testing how far it can stretch the subscription model across every major app it owns.
Still, never underestimate Meta’s ability to turn “free app with ads” into “please subscribe to make this slightly less annoying.”
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EU to crack down on TikTok + Instagram’s ‘addictive design’ by summer 2026 [INTERVENING]
WhatsApp starts to roll out paid subscriptions, with exclusive premium perks [ENSHITTIFYING]
TikTok will now lets UK users pay £3.99 a month to avoid ads in feed [AD-BLOCKING]
Meta tests its own version of Grok in Threads, but it’s already pissing users off [IRRITATING]
Instant failure? — Instagram’s new app has a lot to prove
If there’s one thing Instagram is good at, it’s copying Snapchat. And so here is Instants, the snappiest of all Snapchat feature clones.
It’s as simple as feature can be. You take a photo for either your friends or close friends and it gets added to a stack of images in the corner of their DM inboxes. You get notified if someone reacts to it.
…and that’s it.
The question is… WHY? BeReal proved itself to be a dud years ago, and Snapchat has cornered the market for disappearing photos. Given the way Instants presented in the app, it doesn’t exactly encourage interesting use cases, either.
The most interesting thing I’ve seen posted so far is pet photos, and it’s easy to forget Instants is even there in the app. Meh.
The feature might evolve over time but as it stands right now, I just can’t see it taking off, except maybe among younger users. But even then, if they like this kind of sharing, won’t they already be doing in on Snapchat?
If Instants is already bugging you, here’s how to turn the bubble notifications off and how to delete a photo you accidentally sent (essential knowledge!).
Oh, and Instants is also available as a standalone app. That seems even more pointless than it being a feature in the main app. I mean, here at Geekout, we’re old enough to remember when Facebook launched a standalone app for poking people. 🙃
Yeah, that one didn’t last long.
Meta
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Facebook
Image: Meta Ray Ban Display Smartglasses
Meta rolled out major new features for its Ray-Ban Display AI smart glasses, like neural handwriting in WhatsApp and Instagram, live captions for conversations, and more
…and third-party apps and games are also coming to the Ray-Ban Display AI smart glasses
Meta is offering rival AI chatbots free access to WhatsApp during the EU competition probe into its ban of the bots
Meta published a guide to help you choose which of its AI smart glasses are right for you
Meta is renaming the ‘Engagement’ metric to ‘Interactions’ across its apps for consistency
Meta added a new ‘Profile Suggestions’ option to let you control whether your profile appears in ‘People You May Know’ or ‘Suggestions for You’
Meta is being sued by a California county over alleged scam ads
Meta launched a new AI assistant to help developers set up WhatsApp Business apps faster
Facebook has added a new Content Planner and Reels Bulk Upload for creators
Facebook allows scammers to send ads to seniors at scale, a new report shows
Facebook now lets you erase the music in your video if there’s a copyright claim against it, rather than muting the whole thing
Meta is testing the ability to sync your profile picture across its apps
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Instagram
Image: Instagram’s new multiple captions for carousels feature
Instagram is testing letting you add unique captions for each piece of content in a carousel
Instagram will now snitch on teens by telling their parents the topics driving their feed, and new topics searched for
Instagram is considering support for longform video like podcasts and livestreams as it targets growth on connected TVs
Instagram has been spotted testing 16-account collab posts, but don’t expect it to be available any time soon
Instagram is testing moving the Story progress bar to the bottom of the screen
Instagram is making it easier to change post music during the creation process without needing to remove and reselect a new track
Instagram has quietly removed the Places tab from Search for some users, killing easy location discovery
Instagram has quietly added Events inside DMs
Instagram has redesigned its iPad app to be more like the iPhone version, ditching the Reels-centric experience
Instagram and Google have partnered to make photos and videos in the app look better on Android, closing the gap with iOS
Instagram Edits has added duration controls for transitions, support for Live Photos, and more
… Edits has also added ‘Template Settings’ and ‘Add Version’ options
Instagram Edits is testing the ability to export videos up to 15 minutes in length
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Threads
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WhatsApp
Image: Threads refreshed brand logo and font
Threads has officially launched its new logo and font to further separate the platform from Instagram
Threads seems to be planning an ad-free subscription from £3.99 for one account per month
WhatsApp also seems to be working on a ‘No Ads’ subscription, which could cost as much as £14.99 per month for four accounts
WhatsApp is jumping on the Snapchat-cloning bandwagon by testing disappearing messages
WhatsApp is testing Business Broadcasts to help companies stay in touch with customers
WhatsApp could be set to introduce a feature that lets group admins share a greeting message
WhatsApp is testing a feature that shows when status updates are reshared many times
WhatsApp is testing quick reactions to status updates
WhatsApp is working on a new widget that shows who shared status updates
WhatsApp is set to test new chat themes on the web
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X / Twitter
Image: X’s new ‘History’ tab on iOS
X has turned Bookmarks into a full “watch later” media hub with an updated History tab on iOS
X is launching ‘Fabrizio 24/7,’ a new daily World Cup show hosted by journalist Fabrizio Romano
X added the custom timelines feature to the list of X Premium benefits
X Chat added interaction gestures like swipe and double tap to quickly perform actions in chats
X Chat added an indicator to show when you have new notifications over on X
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TikTok
Image: TikTok Story Highlights | Credit: @theahmedghanem
TikTok is introducing Story Highlights, so you can keep Stories visible after the 24-hour limit
TikTok launched TikTok GO, letting users book hotels, tours, and experiences in-app
TikTok is testing voice comments, letting you leave your snarky ‘first comment’ on brand posts in audio form
TikTok could pay the U.S. government a $400 million settlement over child privacy violations
TikTok introduced ‘TikTok Real’ a new push against fake goods for sale on the platform
TikTok added the ability to tag or mention someone on your Story
TikTok renamed its ‘Series’ feature to ‘Drama’ as part of its new focus on micro-drama content
TikTok is testing skins for Bulletin messages
TikTok launched ‘Comes Alive,’ a new programme bringing creator-led museum tours and cultural events into the app year-round
TikTok asked the EU’s top court to scrap its gatekeeper status under the Digital Markets Act, saying it’s just a challenger platform 🤔
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YouTube
Image: YouTube’s Brandcast 2026 event
YouTube unveiled a massive slate of creator-led TV shows at Brandcast 2026
… YouTube also announced new ad and commerce features for brands and creators
YouTube is stepping in as a middleman, connecting creators with sponsors before content launches
YouTube is making it easier and quicker to buy products while watching videos on TV
YouTube is testing a ‘Clear Screen’ mode to declutter Shorts playback
YouTube is testing a new Practice Mode feature for livestreams on Android
YouTube refreshed its TV app with smarter navigation and quick channel access
Google Ads will auto-link to YouTube channels from June 10, removing the need for manual setup
YouTube and the BBC have launched a creator economy training programme
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LinkedIn
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Reddit
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Discord
Image: LinkedIn’s new 1:1 ‘Advice Sessions’ feature
LinkedIn is launching paid ‘Advice Sessions’ letting users sell 1:1 consultations from their profiles
LinkedIn launched a bunch of new tools to help small businesses grow faster
LinkedIn plans to host up to 4,000 creator-led events a year as it pushes deeper into the creator economy
Reddit is testing locking out mobile users to force app installs—and users are furious
Bluesky now supports video previews for videos shared on WhatsApp
Twitch launched new monetisation features for creators worldwide following a previous US-only launch
Discord added a free Xbox Game Pass ‘starter edition’ for Nitro subscribers, play other perks and brand discounts
Discord is celebrating its 11th birthday with free emoji and wallpaper drops
Telegram introduced a new feature that allows channel admins to run large-scale polls limited to subscriber
Google has added a ‘pause point’ feature to Android, forcing a 10-second delay before distracting apps like TikTok or Instagram open up
The Meta AI app now lets you point your camera at anything and get instant answers about it.
A new voice mode and expanded image generation have also been added.
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Also spotted this week…
Instagram is testing ‘Magic Cut’, an AI tool that automatically finds the best parts of your videos and trims them for you
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Image: Instagram’s new ‘Magic Cut’ feature
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Instagram now breaks out AI-based contacts away from others in DMs
Meta AI’s Android app has a new ‘For you’ feed that offers news based on existing prompts.
WhatsApp has launched Incognito AI chats. Conversations disappear with no logs, no history and no memory
TikTok is opening its ads platform to AI agents, letting AI become the media buyer
TikTok is rolling out a new AI feature called ‘AI Transition’ to let you generate transition videos using just two clips
TikTok’s Tako AI assistant has added chat history support and the option to start new chats.
YouTube is now displaying AI-generated videos created with the ‘Reimagine’ feature as carousels inside the Shorts tab
YouTube rolled out new AI ad tools powered by Gemini and Veo
LinkedIn is upgrading its feed with AI that understands your long-term interests, not just one-off actions
xAI’s Grok’s voice mode has launched on Apple CarPlay, joining a growing wave of in-car AI assistants
xAI launched Grok Build, its new AI coding agent designed to compete with tools like Claude Code
xAI introduced a new ‘Agent Mode’ for Grok AI Imagine
xAI’s Grok app now has Skills built in
xAI added a new ‘Connectors’ feature on Grok AI mobile apps
X is working on preventing automatic AI content disclosure labels from appearing on AI-generated content
Telegram added autonomous bots, auto-replies, AI-powered sticker search, and more
Okay, the courtroom showdown between Elon Musk and Sam Altman is about the origins of OpenAI, not social media directly…
…but given xAI is X’s parent company, and Elon is such a big figure in our industry, this roundup is well worth a read:
Courtroom scenes spiralled into spectacle, with protests, props, and fans chasing seats
Musk cast himself as humanity’s protector, pushing a “Star Trek not Terminator” AI future
Altman stayed composed as tensions simmered, with icy stares replacing direct clashes
Private texts and testimony revealed fragile egos behind $670B AI power struggle
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Also this week:
A judge is forcing Elon Musk and the SEC to justify their tiny $1.5 million Twitter stock settlement in court
Earlier this week, I explained to BBC News why TikTok’s new no-ads subscription in the UK is a sign of the times:
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This whole carousel is worth a swipe 🤣
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Meta started rolling out a Grok-style feature on Threads this week, where Meta AI can be summoned to engage in your conversations.
Users HATED it.
Especially the fact that the Meta AI account can’t be blocked!
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Some users went the extra mile to figure out if blocking was possible…
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But in the end, the anger calmed down (or maybe Threads just made it disappear)…
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YouTube pitched creators as Hollywood replacements at Brandcast 2026.
Brands can now sponsor creator shows and buy curated creator slates like TV upfront inventory…
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More brand social news this week:
Meta has become an official Cannes Film Festival partner, bringing creators to the event with smart glasses, AI editing tools, and more
…but the festival will still ban selfies with stars (sorry creators!)
TikTok and FIFA have launched a World Cup 2026 ‘Creator Correspondents’ programme
Disney is doubling down on short-form video via its TikTok-style “Verts” feed to deepen fan engagement, introducing creator-made clips alongside official content
Target has scrapped its commission-only creator programme, replacing it with Club Target and Target Ambassadors to treat smaller creators and pros differently
"There was a trend for a long time that held that the future of branding is social. I think the future of brand is trust."
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Also quoted this week:
“Children should be protected in the same way wherever they live in our Union”
- European Commission president Ursula von Der Leyen pushes for EU-wide social media age protections for children
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“If lawmakers actually want to protect kids, they should stop asking platforms to decide which stories are acceptable and start regulating core design choices that cause harm in the first place, like endless scroll, engagement‑based recommendations, and surveillance‑driven feeds.”
- Activist Lennon Torres argues app design is more important for safety than content moderation
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“No. The Nazi Party’s name included ‘National Socialist’ for propaganda appeal to workers, but Hitler explicitly rejected Marxist socialism”
- Grok called out its master, Elon Musk, for parroting the old lie that Hitler was a socialist
This is a good look at TikTok’s Commercial Music Library, which gives around 7 million businesses access to 1.5 million licensed tracks
Viral songs like ‘Orla’ power turn trends into revenue, as artists earn from ad spend and organic brand use, not just streaming plays
Breakout hits can scale massively, with tracks hitting 1 million videos and 10 billion views.
Digg is back… again.
The app has relaunched for a second time in months. Its previous open beta was shut down after being quickly overrun by bots.
The new platform drops the Reddit-style model and instead tracks sentiment around trending topics.
It’s currently focused on AI news and conversations.
Founder Kevin Rose says the vision is to expand beyond AI into a broader trend-tracking platform
Instagram ads are packed with “definitely not cocaine” products like designer bump straws and powder pouches 😱
Brands are blatantly using coded terms like “electrolytes” and “cacao” to dodge Meta’s drug ad rules.
Some accounts only vanished after journalists asked Meta why they were still running ads.
Platforms still can’t police wink-wink marketing built entirely around loopholes.
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More WTF this week:
Mark Zuckerberg has shared a Meta Connect playlist, sparking criticism of its “cringey college party” vibe with acts like Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, and EDM-style pop
OnlyFans’ first-gen creators are retiring—and some are begging you to forget they exist
The EU is to run a pilot scheme that will invite influencers to summits and ministerial meetings from July (prepare to be REALLY BORED, influencers)
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Lululemon is looking for a Global Social Media Analytics Specialist [Hybrid, Vancouver, BC, Canada]
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More social media jobs:
English National Ballet needs a Social Media and Digital Officer [London, UK]
The Open University is hiring a Social Media Manager [Milton Keynes, UK]
The LTA is recruiting a Padel Social Media Content Producer [Roehampton, UK]
2 BILLION
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More stats:
NO MORE FAME: Gen Z is done chasing fame, new data revealed:
-📈 Only 13% of Gen Z picked Zendaya as a role model; no one else hit double digits
-📈 A huge 36% rejected all celebrity role models including creators like MrBeast, signaling a shift away from fame
-📈 79% prefer a private life, while just 9% still want fame or public attention
-📈 Just 5% want to be influencers, down sharply from earlier Gen Z ambitions
-BIGSTACK: Substack has hit 500,000 paid subscriptions in the UK
UP IN THE SKY: Sky News dominates reach on YouTube in the UK with 9 million users, ahead of the BBC with 8.4 million and Netflix with 7.9 million
A WORRYING AMOUNT: Google, TikTok and Meta have sent over 70 million warnings to users searching for child sexual abuse material
SCREWGLED: Meta claims Instagram is replacing Google for product discovery, with 92% of people using social apps for product discovery vs 79% for search engines
Threads appears to be bleeding users, while X is winning on every engagement metric 😮
New app data from Apptopia claims Threads has lost daily active users for 8 straight months.
X, meanwhile, reportedly grew daily users 22% globally and 28% in the US YoY in Q1 2026.
The report says X now beats Threads on time spent, sessions per user and retention.
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More social data, charted:
PEAKED: The rise and fall of downloads of Elon Musk’s Grok app downloads
BAD BUSINESS: Enterprise adoption of Grok looks poor versus other AI apps
THINK BIG: The world’s biggest social media platforms in 2026
BIG JOBS: How ‘creator’ compares to other career ambitions among Gen Z
NO THANKS: What social media users worldwide do NOT want from brands on social media
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Also spotted this week…
Meta’s planned job cuts and embracing of AI has unsurprisingly led to internal anger, anxiety, and job uncertainty. [New York Times $$$]
LinkedIn is cutting 5% of its workforce in a reorganisation. [Quartz]
UK MPs want social media treated more like unsafe toys than harmless apps. [The Register]
The EU has backed Italy’s right to make Meta pay for news content. [NiemanLab]
Spain is pressing ahead with tough AI and social media rules despite US lobbying. [TNW]
A suicide forum has been fined £950,000 for not blocking UK users. [BBC News]
Pinterest has upgraded its ad relevance model, combining real-time search behaviour with external conversion and browsing data. [Social Media Today]
Amazon Prime Video has followed Netflix and Disney by adding a TikTok-like ‘Clips’ feed in its app. [TechCrunch]
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New features and tests:
Facebook is testing a refreshed UX for creating and editing Reels. [@oncescruadu]
Facebook now lets you edit and reorder Highlights [@theahmedghanem]
Facebook has added a shortcut to Instagram Edits in the main Reels composer. [@oncescuradu]
Instagram has been showing very large story reaction bubble. [@saadhjawwadh]
Instagram is testing a new UX for the bottom navigation bar. [@oncescuradu]
Instagram is testing a refreshed UI for the story composer. [@oncescuradu]
Instagram now lets you customise your profile picture avatar with different poses and backgrounds. [@theahmedghanem]
Instagram now allows you to receive notifications only for new messages and nothing else. [@theahmedghanem]
Instagram’s “Hidden Requests” section is now called “Spam”. [@theahmedghanem]
Instagram now lets you choose the location you want to receive voting reminders for. [@theahmedghanem]
Instagram is promoting Edits in the Reels tab with a full-screen splash page. [@theahmedghanem]
Meta Business Suite has a new logo [@theahmedghanem]
WhatsApp is testing a feature that allows channel admins to reply to their updates. [WABetaInfo]
WhatsApp is working on a new system to view chat lists. [@WABetaInfo]
WhatsApp is working on a new design for message bubbles. [@WABetaInfo]
WhatsApp is working on a feature that allows users to clean up storage in their channels. [@WABetaInfo]
WhatsApp Business is testing a rename of Labels to Lists. [@theahmedghanem]
Clubhouse has added new Karma and Earnings features. [@theahmedghanem]
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Also worth a read:
How short-form video 'clippers' are overrunning the internet
Meet the YouTube whisperers, a booming class of advisors behind MrBeast and other million-dollar channels
“Meta is dying. It’s about time“
How Reddit is converting casual users into daily ones
Smart glasses are 'an invasion of privacy' - Meta's are selling better than ever
The TikTokification of streaming
At least some teens are ditching screens, craving real-world social connection instead.
The result? 90s stoner trend hacky sack has exploded among Gen Z teens!
The trend lives offline, but TikTok and Instagram are pouring fuel on the fire…
… And that’s everything you and your social team needs to know this week.
I’m heading off to urgently tweak my Instagram feed algorithm topics.
Instagram just showed me this… WTF, Mosseri! 😳 😂
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Goodbye, geeks!
P.S. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant
