<P> On May 11, 2016, Instagram revamped its design, adding a black - and - white theme for the app and a more abstract, "modern" and colorful icon . Rumors of a redesign first started circulating in April, when The Verge received a screenshot from a tipster, but at the time, an Instagram spokesperson simply told the publication that "This is a design test only". </P> <P> Users can upload photographs and short videos, follow other users' feeds, and geotag images with the name of a location . Users can set their account as "private", thereby requiring that they approve any new follower requests . Users can connect their Instagram account to other social networking sites, enabling them to share uploaded photos to those sites . In January 2011, Instagram introduced hashtags to help users discover both photos and each other . Instagram encourages users to make tags both specific and relevant, rather than tagging generic words like "photo", to make photographs stand out and to attract like - minded Instagram users . In September 2011, a new version of the app included new and live filters, instant tilt--shift, high - resolution photographs, optional borders, one - click rotation, and an updated icon . In August 2015, Instagram started allowing users to upload full - size landscape and portrait photos and videos onto the service, dropping the previous requirement of a square frame . In August 2016, Instagram added a zoom feature that allows users to pinch - to - zoom the screen to virtually zoom in on photos and videos . In September 2016, Instagram removed Photo Maps, which previously allowed users to see a map of their geotagged photos . An Instagram spokesperson stated that "Photo Map was not widely used, so we've decided to remove the feature and focus on other priorities". In December 2016, Instagram introduced a feature letting users save photos for later viewing . Bookmarked posts get added to a private page in the app . The feature was updated in April 2017 to let users organize saved posts into different collections . </P> <P> In February 2017, Instagram announced that users would be able to upload up to ten pictures or videos to one post, with the content appearing as a swipeable carousel . The feature originally limited photos to the square format, but received an update in August to enable portrait and landscape photos instead . In May, Instagram updated its mobile website to allow users to upload photos, and to add a "lightweight" version of the Explore tab . Later in May, Instagram added an "Archive" feature, letting users hide posts in a private storage area, out of visibility for the public and other users . The move was seen as a way to prevent users from deleting photos that don't garner a desired number of "likes" or are deemed boring, but also as a way to limit the "emergent behavior" of deleting photos, which deprives the service of content . In August, Instagram announced that it would start organizing comments into threads, letting users more easily interact with replies . In April 2018, Instagram launched its version of a portrait mode called "focus mode," which gently blurs the background of a photo or video while keeping the subject in focus when selected . </P> <P> In June 2012, Instagram introduced "Explore", a tab inside the app that displays popular photos, photos taken at nearby locations, and search . The tab was updated in June 2015 to feature trending tags and places, curated content, and the ability to search for locations . In April 2016, Instagram added a "Videos You Might Like" channel to the tab, followed by an "Events" channel in August, featuring videos from concerts, sports games, and other live events, followed by the addition of Instagram Stories in October . The tab was later expanded again in November 2016 after Instagram Live launched to display an algorithmically - curated page of the "best" Instagram Live videos currently airing . In May 2017, Instagram once again updated the Explore tab to promote public Stories content from nearby places . </P>

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