2026 Instagram Updates (you need to know)

Instagram has already rolled out heaps of updates in 2026… and it’s only the first week of April 😅

Instead of getting into every single update, because quite honestly you won’t need to know every single one, I’ve picked the most important ones for your strategy to dive into. 

If you would like to read about them all though, check out this post on my Instagram. 

Reorder your carousel slides (after posting)

Like @Mosseri said: “finally” 😂

You can now reorder your carousel slides after the post is live. No need to delete and repost if you make a mistake. What a life saver for not impacting reach. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DWO5XmpAMUx/ 

New insights (this is my favourite one)

As a data girl, this one is my favourite update this year. 

Instagram is giving us more data around how people are consuming our content.

You can now see things like:
• retention rate
• where people dropped off
• which parts of your carousel people engaged with

This information is GOLD for strategy planning. 

Interactive Reels

Reels are now more interactive than ever.

We’re starting to see:
• clickable links
• clickable elements
• more ways for people to engage directly within the video

I think in the next few months we’ll see some really creative experimentation with these features. 

Scheduling DMs

You can now schedule DMs.

Like many business owners, I tend to work outside of normal 9-5 hours. So I often see a message and think to myself "I'll reply when it’s working hours”... but sometimes I forget. So this will be my main use for this feature. 

But just because Instagram has dropped all these new features, you don’t need to completely change the way you post on Instagram. 

My advice is to test the features out, see what you like, what works for your account and your biz, and think of creative ways you can utilise them. I don’t think you need to use every feature if you don’t think it’s going to add any value… As business owners, we got too much going on for that 😂

So the focus stays the same:
Create content people want to engage with.

This is just a handful of updates I’m sure we will be getting in 2026. 

Have fun testing them out if you haven’t already. I think we need to bring back the fun of social media and creativity.