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May 2024 Social Media Platform Updates

Thursday 6th June

Blog Author Beth Perrin by Beth Perrin

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Plenty of new features and updates were released by all of the top social media platforms throughout May, which will not only make it easier for individual users to connect with their friends and family members, but will also help brands and businesses enhance their marketing strategies. Let’s take a look at a selection of them below so you can learn which ones might benefit your online experience this summer.

 

WhatsApp Community Events & Announcement Replies

WhatsApp began the month by announcing a couple of updates for its ‘Communities’ feature, a tool which enables users to connect via group chats based on topics, locations and sports teams, etc.

• Firstly, the platform has added Community Events, which will enable Community members to highlight upcoming functions and gatherings in-stream.

• Secondly, it has introduced replies to Announcement Groups, so admins can hear from their members and make sure their groups are an easy place to catch up on what’s happening in their Community.


 

Threads Quote Controls

Threads has rolled out the ability to change who can quote your posts, providing another level of control over your in-app experience. Within the menu for each individual post (the three dots menu in the top right corner), you’ll now see a ‘Who can reply and quote’ option. Tap on this and you’ll be given the option to limit who’s able to quote your posts - ‘Anyone’, ‘Profiles you follow’ or ‘Mentioned only’.

 

 
Post by @mosseri
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Threads View Counts

Potentially taking inspiration from X, Threads has added view counts to individual posts, meaning users can now monitor how many times a piece of content has been seen. Explaining the update, the platform’s chief Adam Mosseri confirmed that it was introduced because he wants people to understand how their posts are performing and to give creators more of the social data they’re looking for.

 

 
Post by @mosseri
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WhatsApp Visual Refresh

WhatsApp has been given a new look, thanks to a recent UI update which includes significant changes to its Android app, as well as a cleaner layout, more prominent lower function bar options, updated graphic elements and more. The separate coloured header bar at the top of the app is now gone, while the search icon has been replaced with a larger prompt for Meta’s new AI chatbot. Various tabs have been moved to the bottom, with all-new icons, and a ‘darker dark mode’ setting has been added for light sensitive users. On iOS, the app has a new attachment layout to make it easier to share more types of content.

 

 
 

Instagram Tests Notes on Feed Posts and Reels

Instagram Notes, which have proven to be popular among Gen Z users, are now being tested on Reels and posts (previously they were only available in the DM inbox and more recently have been tested on profiles). Selected users are now being informed that they can add Notes to their feed posts and Reels, providing more ways to use the app’s conversation starter prompts to generate engagement.


 
 

Sort Threads Search Results by ‘Recent’

Threads has added a chronological filter within search results in the app, which enables users to view results in order of how recently they were posted. This could be a highly useful update for following real-time events like sports, and Adam Mosseri hopes it will make it easier for people to find timely, relevant content.

 

 
Post by @mosseri
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New Colour and Font Options for WhatsApp Status

WhatsApp has added some new creative options for statuses, which are essentially its version of stories - aka photos and videos that you can share on your profile that disappear after 24 hours. More font styles and text colours are now available, bringing the feature more in line with the stories composer on Instagram and giving users more creative options when sharing updates with their friends and family. Businesses may also benefit from this feature, as they’ll now be able to make their status updates in their brand colours.

 

 
 

TikTok Floating Desktop Player

TikTok has added a new floating player option, which enables you to keep watching TikToks on your desktop PC while switching to other tabs. The option now appears in the bottom right corner of the playback window on desktop, and when clicked on, you can then drag it to wherever you want on the screen, making it easier to multitask while consuming your favourite video content.


 
 

TikTok Studio

TikTok has launched a new dashboard called TikTok Studio, which it has described as: “A new comprehensive creation and management platform equipped with tools creators can use to create, edit, upload, manage and analyse their TikTok account and content performance”. It provides insights into the performance of your account and vudeos, as well as audience behaviour and monetisation, allowing you to monitor results, then plan and strategise what to do with your future posts.

TikTok Studio will replace Creator tools within the app, as well as the Creator Centre web app, but creators can continue to access the full suite of tools and resources by visiting tiktok.com/tiktokstudio on a desktop web browser. It’s also going to be tested as a standalone app, separate from the main TikTok app.

 

 
 

Removal of Chat Option on Google Business Listings

Google announced that it will be shutting down the ‘Chat’ feature on business profiles in July, as part of its ongoing plan to streamline its business tools. The chat option isn’t generally a highly used element of the Google Business offering, but right now, users can get in touch with your business directly from the in-stream listings by initiating a chat from the display (if you’ve chosen to enable this as one of your contact methods). However, this option will be removed in the coming weeks. As reported by Search Engine Land: “Google will stop allowing new chats to be initiated starting on July 15, 2024 and then will totally disable the chat and call history features on July 31, 2024”.


 
 

Tweetdeck-Style Desktop Version of Threads

After testing out its new Tweetdeck-style UI for Threads on desktop over the past few weeks, Meta has now announced that the new version of threads.net will be rolled out on desktop globally, providing more customisation and monitoring options for users. The new site enables you to create custom streams of Threads updates on whichever topics you choose, which can then be displayed in a single workspace, alongside your ‘Following’ and ‘For you’ feeds. You can add dedicated columns for your favourite searches, tags and accounts, as well as your saved posts and notifications. You can even switch on an ‘Auto-update’ option on any column, which will then load new content for you in real time.

 

 
Post by @mosseri
View on Threads

 
 

Summary

Whether you’re a casual social media user, business owner or brand marketer, we’d love to hear which of these updates you’ve tried out and which ones you’ve benefited from so far. Find us on X @3sixfivepro and let us know which features you’re planning to incorporate into your upcoming strategy, or how they’ve made it easier for you to connect with friends and family on your favourite platforms.


 
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