Instagram is testing a new ad feature – and people aren’t happy (Picture: Getty)
If you’re on Instagram, you’ll be familiar with the deluge of ads that users now face.
Sometimes it can feel as if every post from an account you follow is sandwiched between adverts, while Stories are also peppered with unwanted plugs for products.
Of course, social media platforms rely on adverts to keep going – and remain free for users – but now it seems they want even more.
Instagram is testing ‘unskippable ads’ according to reports from some users, a feature it is calling an ‘ad break’.
Screenshots shared on X, formerly Twitter, show a countdown timer on the feed, after which a video ad post appears. Users cannot scroll past the post until the video has played in full.
Clicking on the info button reveals the following message: ‘You’re seeing an ad break.
‘Ad breaks are a new way of seeing ads on Instagram. Sometimes you may need to view an ad before you can keep browsing.’
Adverts were first introduced to the platform in 2013, arriving in the UK in 2014.
Court filings released last month revealed that in 2021, Instagram ads generated $32.4 billion for the app’s owner Meta – 27% of the company’s total revenue.
Instagram in numbers
Instagram has billions of users worldwide (Picture: Getty)
2010 The app was launched on October of that year by Kevin Systrom
25,000 The number of users who signed up on day one
1,000,000 Dollars paid by Meta, then Facebook, to buy the ad-free platform in 2012
2,000,000+ The number of monthly active users on the platform
$11.3 billion Instagram ad revenue in 2018
$32.4 billion Instagram ad revenue in 2021
Unsurprisingly, people are not happy about this move to push even more advertising.
On X, one user, Allie, wrote: ‘Oh my god, Instagram has added “ad breaks” where they won’t let you scroll past an ad until you wait three seconds.
‘I guess they’ll be my “get off Instagram” notifications.’
Another, Pamela Morales, said: ‘The unskippable ad breaks on Instagram are making me want to scream!’
Digital creator Lindsey Gamble shared screenshots of the ad countdown on X, asking: ‘Thoughts? Is this too much for you?’
The ads seem even more unpopular on Reddit, with one user writing: ‘Closed the app immediately when the ad break popped up and will continue to do so. Thanks Instagram for the handy pop up that reminds me I have something better to be doing.’
In Europe, Instagram users are offered a subscription for ad-free Instagram browsing to comply with privacy regulations. It costs €9.99 if purchased direct, or €12.99 if bought through Google Play or the App Store.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Meta for comment.