Credit: Luke van Zyl Instagram may be getting a few new features in the near future. As originally reported by The Verge, Twitter user Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) managed to dig up a few interface changes that suggest new functionality is on the way.
Wong, a computer science major at UMass Dartmouth, came across the unreleased features by digging through the code in the Android version of the Instagram app. The two most significant features to be revealed are a new mute function, and the ability to shoot slow-motion video directly inside Instagram, shown below in screenshots from Wong’s Twitter.
NEW: Instagram is finally working on a mute button for profiles!
h/t @wongmjane pic. twitter. com/TLB4ON3AQ6
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) April 27, 2018
The mute function would presumably work in the same way Twitter’s own mute button: effectively removing all content from a profile without the need to unfollow them. No need to unfollow that annoying friend who you want to keep up with, but whose photos you're patently sick of.
Great way to save friendships and your sanity at the same time.
NEW Instagram is testing a 'Slow-Mo' feature for Stories
h/t @wongmjane pic. twitter. com/Pmr6RyETbt
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) April 27, 2018
The slow-mo mode appears to be available only within the Stories section of Instagram, but it’s definitely possible we'll see it as an integrated option within the standard video capture section as well. It’s unknown whether or not this would work with all devices or only on mobile devices that natively support slow-mo video capture.
In a statement to The Verge, an Instagram spokesperson said the company didn't "have anything to share on this right now. " Not a confirmation, sure, but not a flat denial either—something Instagram has done when rumored features get out of hand.
These new features might never see the light of day, but it’s not unlike Instagram to randomly test new features with random users before making them public.
. dpreview.com2018-5-1 17:11
