Instagram has copied its social media rival Snapchat with the launch of a new feature called ‘Rage Shake’.
Users just need to shake their phone with the Instagram app open and a little pop-up appears that lets them report an annoying technical issue.
It’s very similar to Snapchat’s ‘Shake to Report’, which already lets users shake their smartphone to report a bug.
Instagram’s owner Meta (formerly known as Facebook) has been scrambling to emulate the success of Snapchat for years, with a number of distinctly similar features, including Stories and Screenshots.
Rage Shake is available for iOS and Android, but only for US users ‘for now’.
Does Instagram freezing suddenly really hack you off? Now you can just shake your phone to not only release pent-up frustration but also bring up a pop-up window to report the issue (stock image)
MailOnline has contacted Meta for more information about a UK release of Rage Shake.
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri outlined Rage Shake, as well as another new feature that lets users delete one photo from a carousel of photos.
‘Have you ever used Instagram and it just wasn’t working like it was supposed to?’ Mosseri says in the clip.
‘Maybe Stories didn’t load, maybe the audio wasn’t working, maybe you just couldn’t upload a photo and it was just really getting you?
‘Well now you can literally shake the phone and a little option will come up that allows you to report a problem.’
When users shake their phone with Instagram open, the pop-up reads: ‘Did something go wrong? Your feedback helps us improve Instagram.’
Below this is option to tap ‘Report a Problem’. Users can then type what the issue is ‘with all the emotions and feels that you’ve got going on’, Mosseri says.
A human staff member will read the message from the frustrated user, which will help with Instagram’s efforts to fix bugs and other problems.
The second new feature, Carousel Deletion, is just for iOS users, but it’s also coming to Android ‘soon’. With it, users can tap the rubbish bin icon to delete a photo from a carousel
‘We appreciate the feedback, as colourful as it might be,’ Mosseri adds.
The second new feature, Carousel Deletion, is just for iOS users, but it’s also coming to Android ‘soon’.
On Instagram, a carousel is a series of multiple photos or video clips that have been uploaded together, which other users can view by swiping sideways.
Previously, if users wanted to delete one photo in the carousel they had to delete the whole carousel.
Now, users can go to carousel post, click the three-dots symbol in the top-right corner of the post, tap ‘edit’, swipe to the photo they want to delete and then tap the delete icon that’s appeared in the top left corner.
Mosseri said Instagram users have been asking for Carousel Deletion for a while, but it’s finally available globally.
Last week, Mosseri appeared in a similar video to announce the availability of another feature currently in testing, called Take a Break.
Take a Break lets Instagram users opt-in to receive prompts to stop using the photo-sharing app – every 10, 20 or 30 minutes.
Instagram is owned by social media giant Meta, which was known as Facebook until October 28, 2021
It’s rolling out as part of a test for a small sample of Instagram users, but all accounts could get it ‘in a month or two’.
Unlike Take a Break, which is just a test feature, Rage Shake and Carousel Deletion have been rolled out permanently.
If it does get a full rollout following user feedback, Take a Break could help cut ‘Instagram addiction’, which has been linked to harmful effects on mental health.