Instagram is removing its ‘Following’ activity tab this week

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Instagram is removing the ‘Following’ tab from the app starting this week. Launched back in 2011, the Following tab lets users keep a check on Instagram activity of accounts they follow.

Instagram’s Following tab started disappearing for some users earlier this August. The company has now confirmed to BuzzFeed that it will officially remove the Following tab from Instagram by this week. After the removal, Instagram will display only your activity under the heart icon.

Instagram’s head of product Vishal Shah told BuzzFeed the reason behind shutting it down was that not many people used this feature. Shah also argued that the Following tab wasn’t serving its purpose properly as many users were not aware their activity is out in the open.

“People didn’t always know that their activity is surfacing, so you have a case where it’s not serving the use case you built it for, but it’s also causing people to be surprised when their activity is showing up,” Shah was quoted as saying.

For those of you unaware, Instagram has a dedicated tab updated with activity of accounts you follow. Here, you can check activities like following accounts, liking posts, and liking comments on Instagram. It also shows who commented on whose post if you follow both accounts in such cases. This Following tab has also infamously served as a platform for users to stalk on people.

Instagram has off late introduced new features on its app including a standalone messaging app for ‘Close Friends’ called Threads. Instagram dark mode also went live today for Android and iOS devices.