Instagram has announced support for leaving comments on Stories, the ephemeral posts that have become almost as popular as regular Instagram posts.
Previously, the only option was to send a private reply, which appeared as a direct message visible solely to the Story's creator. Now, Instagram has introduced a more public option: Comments. These comments are visible to other users, unlike the private replies.
However, the ability to comment comes with restrictions. Only mutual followers (meaning people who follow the Story creator and are followed back by them) can leave comments. Instagram says the new feature aims to offer a more open way to engage with Stories, while still maintaining the original private messaging option for those who prefer one-on-one interactions.
Like the Stories themselves, comments posted about them are temporary and last for up to 24 hours. Users have the option to turn comments on or off when sharing Stories, but Instagram has not said whether they are archived along with a Story when it reaches its end of life.
Last month, Instagram added support for adding text and additional images to photo and carousel posts, which can now include up to 20 photos and videos. It also recently introduced a feature for adding a song to an Instagram profile.
Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website.
Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50.
We have outlined some examples below:
Device
New Value
Old Value
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Up to $630
U ...
Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app.
Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features.
Notification Summary Changes
Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines.
For...
Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action.
Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
Wednesday January 15, 2025 7:16 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the "ultra-thin" device.
Overall, the "iPhone 17 Air" is shaping up to be a mixed bag. Due to its thinness, the device is expected to have some limited specifications compared to the iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, only a single speaker, no SIM...
Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by Juli Clover
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
Friday January 17, 2025 5:30 am PST by Joe Rossignol
2025 promises to be quite a big year for Apple, with the company rumored to be planning more than 20 product announcements this year.
Apple's rumored smart home hub will be its second all-new product to launch in as many years, following the Apple Vision Pro headset last year. And of course, we will get several new iPhone and Apple Watch models, like every year. Beyond that, Apple could...
The iPhone 17 lineup will feature a vapor chamber heatsink to improve thermal performance, according to a new report.
The news comes from Chinese tech news site MyDrivers, which claims that the entire iPhone 17 lineup, consisting of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, will adopt the improved thermal heat spreader.
Vapor chamber technology is already used...
Who are these people in the chat who are disparaging the use of the word ephemeral? This word has been used to describe Snapchat like stories for ages.
Here me out, what is Insta when back to its spiritual roots and removed all captions and posts. You can only post pictures and you'll never know what anyone thought of it. ?
"Ephemeral" wow - learned a new English word today.
It basically means momentary. Unless you speak US English, in which case momentary means in a moment, not for a moment. I recall being on a flight in the US where the captain announced that the plane would be taking off momentarily… which was a little disconcerting to a passenger accustomed to Australian/UK English!