If you’re annoyed at all the tactics YouTube is doing to discourage the use of ad blockers and subscribe to YouTube Premium, Instagram is reportedly trying out unskippable ads. It’s different from how Facebook does it with videos, as Instagram’s approach will reportedly cover all content on your feed.
Holy moly! Meta seemingly is now forcing us to watch ads in our feeds on Instagram!
The app legit stopped me from scrolling past this ad which is just a bonkers move to me. pic.twitter.com/740EXjGyl2
— Dan Levy ? ????? ??? (@TheDanLevy) June 1, 2024
A screenshot shared by Dan Levy shows that the experimental feature will involve ad breaks on your feed, along with a countdown timer that stops users from scrolling through the app.
The approach, to an extent, is similar to how YouTube does it for its free version. However, Instagram’s approach might be more annoying and intrusive since it will also affect viewing photo posts. As much as we hate to see this day coming, Instagram has evolved from a place for sharing photos into a video-sharing network through Reels.
A spokesperson from Meta confirmed to TechCrunch that they are testing the said feature. “We’re always testing formats that can drive value for advertisers,” the spokesperson said.
The said feature is already a hot topic on Reddit, and the reception is mostly negative, with some threatening to stop using Instagram if they came across these “ad breaks”. Most users question why Instagram will go for unskippable ads, adding that it disrupts the whole user experience.