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Facebook notifications show up on Instagram to dismay of users

Users are not happy with the new feature

Chelsea Ritschel

in New York

Friday 08 June 2018 20:01 BST

Instagram is now notifying users about Facebook notifications (Stock)

An Instagram update that notifies users of their Facebook notifications is not going down well with fans of the picture-sharing platform.

The recent update, which only some Instagram users have reported seeing, added a small Facebook icon on the profile page.

The update was first noticed by a Reddit user, who uploaded a photo of the Facebook icon and described it as a “pre-release beta of Instagram.”

However, others are now seeing the update, which appears only to function as a way to inform users of their Facebook notifications, pop up on their own Instagram profiles.

Tapping the icon launches the Facebook app. When you click the icon for the first time, if your Instagram account and Facebook account are not linked, a prompt appears that reads: “Instagram wants to open Facebook.”

According to Mashable, the feature is being tested out by Instagram, which was confirmed by a spokesperson for Instagram. However, the spokesperson did not say when or if the feature would be available to all users.

For the users that have found the notification icon on their Instagram, the reminder that Facebook owns Instagram has been largely unwelcome.

The icon appears on the profile page on Instagram

On Twitter, people are calling the change “annoying.”

One person asked: “Who told Facebook and Instagram they can integrate our notifications with one another? Like we needed another reason to flock to Twitter...”

Another person sarcastically said: “Fascinating that I deleted my Facebook account months ago, yet Instagram still sends me notifications about my Facebook friends’ activity.”

However, others have found a use for the new feature - which may not have been Facebook’s goal.

“At first I was annoyed that Facebook has added their notifications to my Instagram account, but now it means I don’t have to check Facebook at all unless I get a notification on Instagram! I don’t think that was their plan…” one user pointed out.

The feature appears to be a way to encourage Instagram users to also use Facebook, which has seen a drop in use among young people in recent years.

According to research from eMarketer, less than half of US Internet users aged 12 to 17 will use Facebook this year.

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

Show all 11

1/1111 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

Hide and reorder filters

Filters are a core part of Instagram, but there are so many available it can be easy to get lost. You can change the order in which they appear, and even hide the ones you never use, to speed up your photo-sharing process. On the filters page, scroll to the end, tap Manage, then drag and drop the ones you want to reorder, and un-check the ones you want to hide.

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

Never miss a post

Instagram controversially ditched its reverse-chronological order feed for a new order determined by an algorithm, making it easy to completely miss some posts. To make sure you never miss a certain somebody’s updates, you can set up notification for them by visiting their profile, tapping the three dots in the top right-hand corner and selecting Turn On Post Notifications.

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

Eat less data

If you’re worried about how much of your mobile data Instagram saps, you can limit it by sacrificing the speed at which the photos and videos in your feed load. Go to your profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner, open Cellular Data Use and choose Use Less Data.

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

See your Likes

It’s easy to lose track of your friends’ old posts on Instagram, but if you know you Liked it, you’ll be able to track it down easily. Just go to your profile, hit the three dots at the top and select Posts You’ve Liked. You can also save posts in a folder only you can see by tapping the bookmark icon underneath it. Take a look at everything you’ve bookmarked by tapping the same icon that sits near the top of your profile.

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

Find relevant hashtags

Everyone knows you can expand the reach of your posts by using a number of relevant hashtags, but what those are aren’t always glaringly obvious. You can easily find the right ones for you by typing a keyword into Instagram’s search bar, selecting a hashtag from the list and swiping along the Related row that appears at the top of the screen.

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

Clear your search history

Whatever your reasons are, you can clear your recent searches by going to your profile, hitting the three dots in the top right and selecting Clear Search History. To go a step further and hide your Suggested searches too, go to the search page, tap and hold the account you want to hide, and choose Hide from the pop-up window.

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

Hide photos you’re tagged in

Tagged photos on Instagram aren’t as prominent as they are on Facebook, but anyone can still browse through other people’s pictures of you by visiting your profile and tapping the photo of you icon. If you’re tagged in a picture you don’t want other people to see, go to your profile, hit the photos of you icon, tap the three dots at the top of the screen and choose Hide Photos.

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

Secure your account

Make your Instagram account much harder to hack by enabling two-factor authentication, a security feature that protects you even if your login details are stolen. Go to your profile, tap the three dots, open Two-Factor Authentication and toggle it on.

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

Share lots at once

If you want to upload a bunch of related pictures and videos without flooding everyone else’s feed, you can shared them all as one post. Hit the + icon, select Gallery, choose Select Multiple, pick out up to 10 of the pictures and clips you want, tap Next and reorder them by dragging and dropping.

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

Record hands-free

Instagram Stories has been a massive hit since it came out last year, but you might not know that you can record Stories clips without having to hold one of your digits on the record key. On the Stores screen, just swipe through the options at the bottom until you get to Hands-Free.

11 useful Instagram features you didn't know existed

Edit posts after publishing

Most people know you can delete any of the images you’ve already posted, but not everyone is aware that you can also edit them. Instagram unfortunately doesn’t let you tinker with filters and effects, but you can change your original caption, tag people and update the location.

The research firm also predicts Facebook will lose two million users under 25-years-old this year.

The Independent has contacted Instagram for comment.

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