Instagram U-turns on TikTok-style revamp

Following online criticism from users, influencers, and celebrities, Instagram says it is stopping the rollout of new features on its app. An increase in suggested video content, similar to TikTok, a rival app, was one of the new features. People complained that they were not seeing as many photos from friends and family on the display and feeds.

Instagram's parent company, Meta, stated that it would "take the time" to make the changes properly. The rise in popularity of competitor TikTok, where users post and watch more video instead of still images, is thought to have sparked Instagram's redesign toward more video content.

The TikTok app, the first app not owned by Meta to reach this milestone, has now been downloaded more than three billion times worldwide, according to data from digital analytics firm Sensor Tower.

The test version of the updated app would be phased out within weeks, according to Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, who spoke to The Verge.

"I'm glad we took a risk - if we're not failing every once in a while, we're not thinking big enough or bold enough," he said.

"But we definitely need to take a big step back and regroup. [When] we've learned a lot, then we come back with some sort of new idea or iteration. So we're going to work through that."