New Instagram Outage Alert Feature

The news site Android Central reports that popular social media platform Instagram is currently testing a new tool that will give users access to more detailed information regarding Instagram outages and other service disruptions. This announcement follows two global outages on the 4th and 8th of October 2021, where over 3 billion users of parent company Facebook and its subsidiaries Instagram and WhatsApp were left locked out of the platforms for up to 6 hours. This outage was difficult for users who rely on Facebook and its applications for communication, and financially damaging for those who use it in a commercial capacity.

Instagram’s new feature testing will be limited to the US over the next few months, followed by a wider rollout “if it makes sense.” During future outages, if Instagram thinks it is prudent, users could receive a notification detailing the disruption to help clarify the situation, and another when the issue is resolved. Alongside this tool, Instagram also intends to add an ‘Account Status’ tool, covering account information such as risk of being disabled, or how the account’s content is being distributed.

Read the article Instagram is adding an ‘outage alert’ feature to its mobile app at Android Central