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New Instagram test adds posts your friends like into your feed

New Instagram test adds posts your friends like into your feed

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Instagram has started testing a new “recommended for you” section within the feeds of a small group of users. The new section will show you Instagram posts that your friends have liked or that the algorithm thinks will appeal to you directly in your feed, which could mark another major shift for the photo sharing service if the feature is officially rolled out.

In a statement to The Verge, Instagram confirmed the test. “We're always testing new ways to connect you to interesting content on Instagram,” the company said. Posts that your friends have liked have long been available inside the “following” section in the notifications tab.

Earlier today, Instagram began allowing users to follow hashtags in their feeds. Although Instagram will let you hide the recommended section in the test we’ve seen, a combination of the two new features could dramatically alter how 800 million Instagram users interact with their feeds. It’s already difficult enough with Instagram’s algorithmic sorting to search through your feed, but add in a new recommended section and potential hashtags and it could get even more cluttered and harder to find posts from the people you actually follow.