Instagram rolls out account status feature, testing outage notifications

Instagram has announced new features that let users keep track of their account status and notify them if the app suffers an outage.

“Today, we’re announcing two new features to help give people more information about Instagram outages and their account status, directly in the app,” the company said in a blog post on 11 October.

Checking your Account Status on Instagram

The first feature Instagram is testing an Account Status tool.

The tool will provide users with information about content they’ve reported or posted that goes against the app’s community guidelines. This includes posts, comments, and account profiles.

Users can see which specific posts of theirs violated the app’s guidelines and for what reasons specifically.

If a user believes their post was removed in error, they can appeal the removal by requesting a review directly on the page.

The account status tool is now available on the Instagram app.

The company will add more information to the tool in the next few months. This will include information on how the app distributes and recommends users’ content.

Instagram will tell you if there’s an outage

The company is also testing a feature that notifies users in their Activity Feeds when the app suffers an outage or technical issue.

For example, the app will notify users if an issue is preventing them from uploading or viewing content.

The feature will also notify users if and when it resolves an issue with the app.

Though it may not send a notification every time there is an outage, the feature will serve to provide answers in the event there is confusion among users.

Instagram said it will test the notification feature in the US during the next few months. It will slowly roll it out to other users following the test period.

The feature comes not long after Facebook suffered a six-hour global outage that impacted its platforms including Instagram.

The company later attributed the outage to a configuration change on its routers.

Read more: Facebook pauses development of “Instagram Kids” app

Featured image: Instagram