Following YouTube, Instagram users might see unskippable ‘ad breaks’ while scrolling the platform. Meta-owned photo-sharing and messaging platform is testing a new feature called ‘Ad Breaks’. As per reports, the company is experimenting with the feature with a small group of users and will roll it out to other users in the coming days or weeks. Here are the details of the new Instagram ‘Ad Breaks.’
Instagram testing new ad breaks feature
- As per reports, a pop-up appears when a user clicks the ‘i’ button to learn about Ad Breaks on Instagram.
- This pop-up mentions that Ad Breaks represents a new way to see ads on the platform, occasionally requiring users to view an ad before continuing to browse.
- With the new unskippable ‘ad breaks,’ the new change indicates a shift toward Instagram resembling the non-premium version of YouTube.
- It is said that the platform is currently testing this feature with a small group of people.
“We are always testing formats that can drive value for advertisers,” a Meta spokesperson was quoted as saying by TechCrunch.
Here’s how netizens react to Instagram ad breaks feature
This feature was initially spotted by Instagram user Dan Levy, who shared a screenshot of the test to his X (formerly Twitter) account. He mentioned, “Holy moly! Meta seemingly is now forcing us to watch ads in our feeds on Instagram! The app legit stopped me from scrolling past this ad which is just a bonkers move to me.”
All in all, the new ad breaks feature on Instagram did not receive applause from the users. There were users who threatened to quit Instagram if they encountered ad breaks like this, and some even said they would stop using the app altogether.
“Meta has top-tier UX designers, did they not do any research on this before pushing it onto the public? It completely disrupts the user’s flow,” a Reddit user wrote on the platform regarding the new change.
“Instagram+ is coming. I can feel it,” another user mentioned on X.
More details about this new ad break feature are expected to arrive in the coming days.
