Facebook’s Instagram finally rolled out the dark mode earlier this week amid a warm welcome but caused disappointment among users with another move. The popular photo-and-video sharing app has confirmed it is removing the “Following” tab from its platform this week.
Those unfamiliar with the Following tab on Instagram should note that the tab basically keeps a track of the activity of the people you follow on the Facebook-owned app. Some users, however, reports say, can still find the tab via the heart icon on the bottom of the app, adjacent to the ‘You’ tab while some are already reporting that the Following tab on Instagram is missing.
Vishal Shah, Instagram’s head of product, was quoted as saying in a BuzzFeed News report that the feature was not being used by people frequently, adding that Instagram was of the view that most users were not aware that it existed. He further added that users who knew about the feature found that the feature was a “source of unwelcome surprises.”
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According to the report, as the tab is gradually being phased out, the heart icon will only show the user’s activity rather than providing then option to check the activity of users they follow on Instagram. The reason given for the move is that most users do not know the tab even exists.
However, those who do use the Following tab feature tend to use it for snooping around. Users can simply check what the people they follow are doing on Instagram as it recorded their activity. To be more clear, the feature allowed users to know which pictures they are “hearting”, what they are writing in comments at what time.
The move received mixed reactions. Some users were confused as they did not know it existed, some welcomed it as they will no longer see their friends’ “not-so-discreet” habits while some found the opportunity to make memes.
