Instagram might have been testing a huge change to your feed, and people are angry

Update, December 27th, 10:36 a.m. PST: Instagram tweeted that the change in many users’ feeds was “due to a bug.”

“We quickly fixed the issue and feed is back to normal,” the company tweeted. “We apologize for any confusion.”

With a new year on the horizon, change is in the air. And it turns out that Instagram may have embraced the “new year, new me” philosophy in a very literal sense. Today, December 27th, the social media platform appeared to test a complete overhaul of the way its feed works. The Independent was the first to report on Instagram’s brand new look, noting that users could only view posts by scrolling from side-to-side. The update also restructured the feed to resemble Instagram Stories, with users able to tap through posts as well as scroll through. Scrolling up only showed comments on posts.

According to The Independent, an in-app message announcing the change began appearing this afternoon, U.K. time. As with most other Instagram updates, it appeared to roll out gradually, and as of writing this, the new feed had started making its way to the U.S. (including to the HelloGiggles staff).

  "Introducing a new way to move through posts," the message reads. "Tap through posts, just like you tap through stories."

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1078307352741179392

And, um, the change did not go over well. “WTF Instagram,” “New Instagram,” and “#instagramupdate” were all trending.

Us: Instagram please just bring back chronological order.
Instagram: WE'RE GIVING YOU SIDE SCROLLING.
Us: WTF Instagram!?!?!?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/NWgeBH92or

— Mindy *Dreaming of Outlander* (@romancebooknerd) December 27, 2018

A live look at everyone logging on to Instagram this morning: #instagramupdate pic.twitter.com/mduvrengdn

— RPI (@rpikc) December 27, 2018

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1078310249843576832

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1078316626129219585

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After a few hours, users began reporting that their feeds had returned to normal, suggesting that this unexpected overhaul was only a test. The social media platform has yet to address what happened. However, The Verge notes that the app previously tested the feature in October, so it seems this update has been in the works for a while now—and might still make a return.

But—for now at least—we can continue to scroll through our feeds in peace.

Instagram heard us complaining and went right back to the old shit 😂 #instagramupdate pic.twitter.com/Bd94T7Q5Nz

— dead fucking account (@tmlnsnbarnes) December 27, 2018

And while we’re on the subject, how about bringing back chronological feeds. Please?