The biggest updates in social media | April 2025
Ready for your next installment of social media news? These are the key updates you need to know about across your favorite social media apps.
Key takeaways
- Community Notes are live across Meta apps allowing users to flag misinformation.
- Instagram launches “Blend” feature to create a sharable blended feed of Reels with friends.
- Instagram launches “Edits,” an alternative to CapCut video editing app.
- X gives Grok new memory capacity and launches Grok Studio allowing users to use Grok to generate documents, code reports, and browser games.
- LinkedIn adds a new video trends feature, encouraging users to create video content around tagged trends.
- TikTok adds Footnotes (similar to Community Notes on Meta) allowing users to add information to posts to confirm reliability of content.
- TikTok sell-off bill deadline is extended for another 75 days.
Summary
Social media news
Meta
Community Notes are appearing in Meta apps
Live now
Community Notes are beginning to appear for US users on posts across Instagram, Threads, and Facebook allowing users to flag misinformation.
Facebook introduces new measure to reduce spam posts and comments
Live now
Posts with too many hashtags or long captions that are unrelated to the content they support will have their reach limited to their followers only and will not be eligible for monetization. Our advice? Keep the hashtags limited to 3 and if it feels like it could be a blog post – then it’s not appropriate for a caption. Check out our guide to social media hashtags for more guidance.
Spam networks (resulting in a number of accounts posting the same content) will also face similar consequences. Additionally, Facebook is testing comment downvotes to discourage users from adding less relevant contributions.
Instagram tests lockable posts
Live soon
Lockable posts could be coming to Instagram, allowing users to only view content once a secret code has been entered. The means by which users gain access to the code is up to the poster’s discretion.
Instagram launches monthly performance recap and recommendations
Live now
Some creators are able to view a recap of their previous month’s performance. The recap includes a Story-like full screen set of slides featuring data on total views of Reels and posts, views from non-followers, notes on activity with recommendations, and top posts.
Instagram tests new sorting filters for Reels
Live soon
Instagram is testing a new filtering option for the Reels feed allowing users to select whether to view Reels by “Latest” or “Most Viewed.”
Instagram launches “Blend” Reels sharing feature
Live now
Instagram’s new “Blend” option for Reels allows you to create a shared feed of recommended Reels with a friend or group.
Instagram experiments with collaborative Stories
Live soon
A collaborative Stories option called “Storylines” would allow users who follow one another to link their Stories together creating a Story chain for even more users to contribute to.
Instagram launches editing app, Edits
Live now
Edits is Instagram’s alternative to ByteDance-owned editing app CapCut, allowing users to edit their video content for social media posting. Edits includes numerous features to aid video creation including multi-channel editing, the ability to work on multiple video projects at once, notes to track thoughts and ideas, search functionality to discover trending Reels for inspiration, video effects, and more.
Instagram may add custom colors for Notes
Live soon
Instagram is experimenting with the ability to add a color and emoji of your choice to customize your Notes in the app.
Threads encourage users to cross-post
Live now
A new prompt within Threads is encouraging users to cross-post their Threads content on Instagram as Stories.
X (Twitter)
X announces new requirements for parody accounts
Live soon
Although Parody account labels are currently a requirement to avoid confusion around fan or parody accounts, parody accounts will now be required to also use a different profile image from the one being used by the account that they are parodying. Parody accounts must also include the word “fan,” “parody,” “fake,” or “commentary” at the start of the account name for an extra layer of clarity.
X launches updated post analytics display
Live now
X has launched a revamped UI for its post analytics pages to include a full overview of all engagement and reach metrics including re-posts, shares, video views, Premium viewers, and more.
xAI launches “Grok Studio” project tool
Live now
X has released “Grok Studio” a new expansion of its Grok chatbot. Grok can now generate documents, code reports, and browser games.
Grok gets new memory capacity
Live now
Grok has been given the ability to remember past questions and responses allowing it to tailor its future interactions with you.
Further reading: Is Reddit the new Twitter?
LinkedIn tests video trends feature
Live soon
A new feature from LinkedIn will encourage users to post video content around specific trends. Content will include header tags that will allow users to view content from others around this same trend or to upload a video of their own around this topic.
LinkedIn users can now share mp4 videos in DMs
Live now
LinkedIn has expanded the types of files you can send via DM in the app with mp4 files (under 20mb) now able to be exchanged.
LinkedIn expands top-of-feed news banner
Live now
LinkedIn’s news banner provides a rotating headline summary of trending news stories. While previously only available in the US, Canada, and India, this functionality has now been expanded to users in the UK and Australia.
LinkedIn launches Qualified Leads Optimization for custom ad targeting
Live now
LinkedIn’s Qualified Leads Optimization allows advertisers to set a definition of lead quality via their own CRM which will define how LinkedIn’s system targets your promotions in the app.
LinkedIn allows users to add secondary names for ID verification
Live now
LinkedIn’s verification option now allows users who prefer to use an alternative name to become verified on the platform by enabling use of their real name as a secondary title in the app.
LinkedIn expands “Wire” program, now known as “BrandLink”
Live now
BrandLink enables brands to place their video ads alongside “premium publisher content” in the app. However, LinkedIn is expanding these ad placements to include influencer content as well, which could be a step towards facilitating creator monetization.
Further reading: What to know as a business owner on LinkedIn
TikTok
TikTok allows you to highlight comments from select profiles during livestreams
Live now
A new ability gives users the ability to mark selected profiles (such as close friends) so that any comments or engagement they leave during a live stream will be highlighted and easier to spot.
US TikTok sell-off deadline is extended again
President Trump has announced another 75-day extension for negotiations around the future of TikTok in the US to continue.
TikTok adds more ad placement controls
Live now
TikTok is adding two options to verify your TikTok ads performance with Video Exclusion Lists and Profile Feed Exclusion Lists. Both options offer advertisers the ability to exclude specific profile pages (by username) or specific video IDs from appearing next to their ads.
TikTok to display reviews for certain location-tagged posts
Live now
Some TikTok comment sections now have a separate “Reviews” tab where reviews for the business at the tagged location are showcased.
Further reading: 11 tested tips for boosting your TikTok engagement
TikTok adds "Footnotes”
Live soon
TikTok is currently testing “Footnotes” which are user-submitted notes that are appended to posts. Similarly to Community Notes on X, Footnotes will allow users to add relevant information to posts to help other users understand the reliability of the content.
TikTok allows advertisers to direct leads to other messaging apps
Live now
TikTok added a new goal for its Promote ads allowing advertisers to drive DM leads to other messaging apps including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Line, and Zalo.