(Pocket-lint) – Instagram has updated the way the main feed works, by introducing Favorites and Following. These are two new ways to choose what you see in your feed. Confused? No worries. Here is everything you need to know about Favorites and Following, including how to switch between them on Instagram, and what the difference is between the two options.
What’s the difference between Favorites and Following on Instagram?
When you open the Instagram app, you are greeted with a main feed of photos and videos shared by people you follow. The feed also includes suggested posts and ads. Many users have been critical of the feed – mainly, Instagram’s algorithmic sorting. In an attempt to address their concerns, Instagram is offering users two ways of sorting their feed. These are called Favorites and Following.
- Following: See the latest posts from all the accounts that you follow, in the order they were posted.
- Favorites: You can star up to 50 accounts, so their posts will show up higher in your main feed. You can also view those posts in a separate “Favorites” feed, which starts with the most recent posts.
How to switch between the Favorites feed and the Following feed
To switch between the Favorites feed and Following feed on Instagram, open the latest version of the Instagram mobile app and follow these steps:
- Tap on Instagram in the top left corner of your home page.
- Select Favorites to see posts from accounts you’ve starred
- Or select Following to see the latest posts from all the accounts you follow.
How to ‘favorite’ an account or person on Instagram
You can star or add up to 50 accounts to your Favorites list. (They will not be notified when they are added or removed.) Then, you can go to your Favorites feed to see the latest posts from your favorites.
To add Instagram accounts to your Favorites list, open the latest version of the Instagram mobile app and follow these steps:
- Tap the three-dot icon on above a post in your feed
- Tap Add to Favorites to add an account to your favorites.
Favorites can also be managed by tapping the Star icon above a favorites post in your feed and then tapping Manage Favorites.
Need more help?
See Instagram’s support page for managing favorites. Instagram also has a blog post where it announces the Favorites feed and Following feed.
Writing by Maggie Tillman.
