The biggest updates in social media | July 2025

Meta updates

Meta is gifting verified to selected creators

Live now

Meta is giving some creators who are eligible for Meta Verified free access to Meta Verified for one year. The intention is to igrow interest in its paid subscription offering.

Meta adds new Facebook and Instagram management options for third-party platforms

Live now

Meta added new elements to its Marketing API, including a new Recommended Creator Content element which uses AI to suggest potential content collaborators based on what resonates with a target audience. This ability is already part of Meta’s management tools, but now it’s extended to third-party ad platforms as well.

The Marketing API also facilitates partnership ads with one partner (instead of requiring businesses to feature themselves and their partner), as well as Dynamic Identity Optimization, which uses AI to determine whether it would be more beneficial to feature both or one of the partners in the ads header. Instagram video updates make it easier to upload Instagram videos to Facebook, as well as publish Instagram Stories through the Content Publishing API.

Threads tests option to sign up for an account using Facebook

Live soon

Meta is testing a new option that will allow users to sign up to Threads through their Facebook profile, instead of being required to cross-link their Instagram account.

Further reading: A beginner's guide to Instagram Threads

Facebook updates

Meta adds copyright check into Reels composer on Facebook

Live now

Meta added Copyright Check in the Reels composer tools so users can check their Reels content for violations before publishing. If you turn on Copyright Check, your eligible Reels will be scanned for copyrighted content, and if copyright content is found, your Reels will be held for 1 hour so you can correct any issues.

Facebook restricts the reach of unoriginal content

Live now

Facebook has a new algorithm update which focuses on demoting unoriginal content. In this scenario, unoriginal content is defined as content that reuses or repurposes another creator’s content repeatedly without crediting them.

Facebook adds music for text posts

Live now

Facebook users can now add music, as well as themed backgrounds for selected artists, to Facebook text posts.

Instagram updates

Edits gets more features to help manage video projects

Live now

A bunch of organizational features were added to Edits, specifically within the Ideas tab of the app, allowing users to save audios within Ideas, leave sticky notes on audios you want to create with, mark stickies as done, and filter stickies by status, last edited, date created, or color.

Further reading: Why audio is so important in social media content

Instagram Trial Reels available to more creators

Live now

Trial Reels are shown to a selection of non-followers to provide early insight into the likely performance of your Reels. Trial Reels are available to all creators with at least 1,000 followers and a public account.

Instagram tests like counts for individual frames in a carousel

Live now

Instagram is testing a new addition to its post analytics which reveals the specific slide in a carousel that got a Like.

Instagram tests auto scroll option for posts

Live soon

Instagram is testing a new auto scroll option that some users can activate from within their post settings. The auto scroll option allows the feed to be automatically scrolled without the user needing to swipe. This function is for the main feed only, not for the Reels feed.

Instagram restricts live streaming to creators with 1k or more followers

Live now

From now on, only public accounts with 1,000 followers or more will be able to live stream on Instagram.

X (Twitter) updates

X will enable AI bots to create Community Notes

Live soon

X is introducing AI Note Writers — automated bots that can create their own Community Notes — to be assessed by human Notes contributors.

xAI launches Grok 4 model

Live now

Grok 4 has achieved record high scores on several AI performance tests, achieving new industry benchmarks in accuracy and relevance. It’s been proven to go beyond human-level thinking on various tasks.

X looks to add branding markers to screenshots of posts

Live soon

Screenshots of X posts on iOS will soon come with a new X.com watermark.

X plans to launch AI text-to-video option and new AI Companions

Live soon

X will integrate its AI-generated text-to-video tool Hotshot (acquired back in March) into the X app. Additionally, X has launched AI Companions, with two companions available (a female anime character and a panda), and more to be released in the future.

X restricts the use of emojis in promoted posts

Live soon

X is imposing a new restriction on its ads, informing users that promoted posts with more than one emoji in the ad copy or creative will have a lower quality score and may experience higher pricing.

X adds new functionality to expanded DM system

Live soon

X’s new XChat (currently only available to Premium subscribers ) will soon have features such as improved blocking, search, typing indicators, inbox reactions, and new push notifications for replies and mentions.

LinkedIn updates

LinkedIn provides more analytics data to third-party platforms

Live now

LinkedIn is launching several new Member Analytics APIs which allow users to track their LinkedIn profile and post analytics within the dashboards of any third-party social media management tools.

New in-app games leaderboard expected next month

Live soon

Group leaderboards will show how you rank on each game in comparison to your connections.

Further reading: What to know as a business owner on LinkedIn