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November 2024 Social Media Platform Updates

Thursday 5th December 2024

Blog Author Beth Perrin by Beth Perrin

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Plenty of new features and updates were released by all of our favourite social media platforms throughout November, which will make it easier for casual users to connect with their friends and family members during the holidays, while also helping brands and businesses enhance their marketing strategies. Let’s take a look at a selection of them below so you can decide which ones might benefit your online experience as we approach the end of Q4 and head into the new year.

 

DM Filters for Instagram Creators

Instagram kicked off the month by adding some new messaging filters for creator accounts, which will give influencers a more intuitive experience when sorting through their message requests and looking for relevant enquiries in their inbox. This should make it easier for creators to manage their high volumes of incoming DMs and find the most important ones, especially those regarding brand collaborations.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Instagram’s @Creators (@creators)

 

Share Music to TikTok

TikTok has added a new music integration feature - a ‘Share to TikTok’ button that enables users to share music directly from Apple Music and Spotify to TikTok, with a range of sticker types that you can use to highlight your chosen track. Users will also be able to send songs to friends via their DMs, and both stickers will open up the track in Apple Music or Spotify when tapped.

 

 
 

More Boosting Options on Instagram

Up until now, some post types have been ineligible for boosting on Instagram due to limitations in Meta’s system and copyright concerns. However, thanks to a recent update, a broader range of posts (such as those including GIFs, stickers and music) can now be boosted in the app, giving brands and creators more opportunities to widen their reach and encourage engagement. Restrictions on music will still apply, but users will now be given the option to switch a song for a boost-eligible one instead.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Instagram for Business (@instagramforbusiness)

 
 

More Threads Drafts on Mobile

Threads has expanded its drafts feature on mobile, moving it into line with the desktop site, which means mobile users are now able to save up to 100 draft posts. Drafts were originally added to the app back in March, but users could only save one at a time. Now, users will be able to save more of their best ideas to share when they’re ready.

 

 
View on Threads

 
 

‘Open to Volunteer’ Option on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has added a new option to help users signal that they’re interested in volunteering opportunities, and to allow charities and other non-profit organisations to easily find people who are looking to assist in their causes. The ‘Open to Volunteer’ label will add a new tab to users’ profiles, highlighting which causes they’re interested in contributing to, and whether they’d like to volunteer in person or virtually.

 
 

Topics Feed Expansion on Threads

Threads has expanded its rollout of custom topic feeds on the main timeline, which will make it easier for users to engage in more community-based discussions. Not all users have access yet, but for those that do, you can create a custom feed in the app by:

• Entering your search terms

• Tapping the three dots next to the search field on the results screen

• Selecting ‘Create new feed’ to make a feed based on that topic

 

 
View on Threads

 
 

Remove Inactive Profiles From Your Instagram Audience

Instagram will now display how many inactive profiles are among your followers, so you can choose to remove them from your audience if you prefer. When you head to your followers list, you’ll see a new category above the main list that shows ‘Deactivated accounts’, along with profiles that have been flagged for review, creator accounts and more. From here, you can either tap on ‘Remove all’, or remove individual users one by one.

 

 
 

Pinch to Zoom in on Videos on X

As part of its ongoing push to maximise engagement by leaning into the rising consumption of video content, X has added a new tool that allows users on iOS to pinch to zoom in on video clips, allowing them to get a better look at specific details in-frame. Following the platform’s CEO’s announcement back in March that X is becoming a ‘video first’ app, we can expect to see plenty more video features being released as it dives further into this trend.

 

 
 

Messenger Video Call Improvements

Meta has announced some new updates for audio and video calling via Messenger, just in time for users who want to stay in touch with friends and family over the holidays.

• HD video calls have been introduced, which will now be enabled by default for any calls made on WiFi.

• Background noise suppression and voice isolation will help users make clearer, higher-quality calls.

• The ability to leave audio or video voice messages when people don’t answer your call has been added.

• Soon, users will be able to use AI backgrounds to reflect how they’re feeling or to simply add a creative flair to their calls.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Messenger (@messenger)

 
 

New Display for Multi-Image Uploads on Messenger

Messenger has also launched a better way to display multiple photos within conversations, which could help to maximise interaction. When you send multiple photos to the chat, they’ll now appear as stacked thumbnails in-stream. Then, when chat participants tap on them, they’ll be shown a display of all the images and will be able to expand them from here, as well as like and comment on them.

 
 

WhatsApp Voice Note Transcripts

WhatsApp is rolling out voice message transcripts to all users, which it hopes will come in handy when users are either on the move, in a loud place, or have received a long voice message that they can’t stop and listen to right now. To get started with this feature, simply head to Settings > Chats > Voice message transcripts, where you can turn transcriptions on or off and select your desired language. You can then transcribe a voice message by pressing down on it and tapping ‘transcribe’.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by WhatsApp (@whatsapp)

 
 

Side-Swiping Likes and Replies on X

Earlier this year, Elon Musk expressed interest in changing the way posts appear in the main feed on X, saying that he wanted the like and repost buttons to be hidden from view, leaving only the total view count and time stamp visible. While this update hasn't yet been fully implemented as the default option for everyone, X engineer May Ly announced recently that users on iOS can now choose to enable it if they wish, meaning that if they want to like or repost a post, this will now be done via a side-swiping function instead of the usual buttons.

 

 
 

Easily Access Alternate Feeds on Threads

Thanks to another Threads update, rather than having to tap on the Threads icon at the top of the feed to make your alternative feed options show, they’ll now be present on screen all the time beside the ‘For you’ and ‘Following’ feeds, making it quicker and easier to swipe across to view each one. Mark Zuckerberg also announced that the Threads team is testing the ability to choose any feed as your default one, which could be an exciting update for any users who prefer to just see content from the people and topics they follow, instead of algorithmically suggested posts.

 

 
View on Threads

 
 

Summary

Whether you’re an individual social media user, a content creator or you work in the brand marketing world, we’d love to hear if you’ve tried any of these updates and which ones you’ve found beneficial so far. You can find us on X @3sixfivepro - tag us in a post to let us know which new features you’re excited to use and how you’re planning to refresh your strategy for 2025.


 
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