Frustrated users have criticized Instagram’s new streaming channels, as many claim they are being bombarded with countless notifications.
Complaints have flooded social media over the past 48 hours since Meta launched its new content creation tool in the UK.
Mark Zuckerberg, Steven Bartlett and Shakira are among countless celebrities who use these channels as a casual way to update their followers with exclusive news.
But the feature has generated so many notifications that some Instagram users initially thought they were being attacked by spambots.
Fortunately, there is a simple way to remove annoying notifications from your smartphone – here’s how.
Streaming channels allow Instagram creators to update their fans with exclusive news.
“I thought I was the only one they were bombarding with all these Instagram streaming channels, go figure, at first I thought they were spambots,” one Instagrammer wrote on X.
Another added: ‘Stop inviting me to your streaming channels on Instagram omds (oh my days)’, while someone else repeated: ‘STOP INVITING ME TO JOIN YOUR STREAMING CHANNELS ON INSTAGRAM.’
One user also wrote: “The new spam trend is apparently Instagram accounts (or bots) inviting you to join their streaming channel, I wish there was a way to deny them en masse or automatically deny them.”
While the streaming channels launched in the UK on Tuesday, they have been used by a select handful of American creators since February.
Creators often send invitations to their entire follower list, giving users direct access to their channel pages.
“We’re testing additional features, such as the ability for creators to use ask messages to collect comments and responses from followers and a dedicated channels tab in the inbox so people can easily access the channels they’re following. unite and discover new ones,” says an Instagram statement. she says.
‘We’re exploring new controls to help creators manage and promote their streaming channels, such as setting an expiration date and time on their channel, adding a moderator to help manage members, messages and content, and sharing a link or even a Stories preview to encourage your followers to join.’
Complaints have flooded social media over the past 48 hours after Meta launched its new content creation tool in the UK.
However, if the notifications are too much to handle, fortunately Instagram offers users the ability to turn them off.
To do this on a smartphone, head to your Instagram profile page and tap the three straight lines in the top right corner.
Tap “Settings & Privacy” and a small menu will appear at the bottom of the screen.
This will take you to a new page where you can tap the “Notifications” tab, before tapping “Messages & Calls.”
Here you’ll see a full list of Instagram features that send notifications: Invitations and broadcast channel messages should be fourth and fifth on the list.
Creators have the ability to send videos, text messages, and even voice notes to their fans through their streaming channels, while also producing polls to crowdsource feedback.
If notifications become too much to handle, fortunately Instagram offers users the ability to turn them off.
The ‘On’ and ‘Off’ options are displayed here, allowing users to switch between preferences when it suits them.
If you want to opt out of notifications entirely, you can also tap “Pause All” in the Notifications menu.
Those who want some peace of mind can also opt for ‘Silent Mode’, which automatically silences notifications at night or during moments of concentration.
Instagram has been contacted for comment.