Filipinos wasted no time customizing their Instagram app icons to their own preference as the Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform celebrated its 10th anniversary by releasing several new features.
The app on October 6 commemorated the first time it was launched on the App Store 10 years ago and added an Easter egg that allows its users to change its home screen icon amid the trend of customization brought by iOS 14.
Icons that are available include its classic Polaroid-style design that was launched in 2010 and 2011.
Users can also change their Instagram icon colors to the themes of “twilight, sunrise, aurora, gold, dark, light, very dark” and to the theme of the Pride flag with its rainbow colors.
It can be accessed by going to the “Settings” option in one’s profile and swiping down the screen until you see emojis on top.
The following message would then appear:
“To celebrate our birthday, this month we’re inviting you to change your app icon to your favorite below. Thanks for being part of our story and using Instagram to share yours.”
Filipinos shared their own icon changes in Twitter, where Instagram hinted about the new feature with a series of emojis.
🤫📲👉⚙️👀⬇️⬇️⬇️🥳🎁
— Instagram (@instagram) October 6, 2020
“My IG icon is now black hehehe,” wrote a Twitter user in response to Instagram’s post.
Other users changed their icons to the classic Polaroid-style design that brought nostalgia.
So cool! I love this IG icon, I’m glad they had the option to bring it back. 🙂🙃 https://t.co/yIlItRdN0F pic.twitter.com/yO5PYcc8UC
— Aaron Paul 🦄 (@eysngbrl) October 6, 2020
I like this classic icon 😅 @instagram pic.twitter.com/PnbBeJYMFA
— RM 🙄 (@rolmrtnez) October 6, 2020
— JC Dizon (@jc__dizon) October 6, 2020
A digital marketing consultant shared a short video to demonstrate how users can access the feature.
For @instagram’s 10th anniversary they are sharing new features including custom icons. Here’s how to get it!
Settings ➡️ Scroll Down https://t.co/GmCt3N06M3 pic.twitter.com/FGdoMrVdNL
— Charu Misra (@charumisra) October 6, 2020
The feature is also available to Android users.
Apart from the option to change icons, Instagram is also launching a private “Stories Map” which features a retrospective look of the Stories the user has shared over the last three years.
The platform also announced anti-bullying features that attempt to automatically hide potentially abusive comments and discourage users from posting them.
Instagram was created in October 2010 and has since amassed more than a billion active users worldwide.
Academics note that it is “largely responsible for the rapid professionalisation of the influencer industry” where content creators and bloggers have been utilizing it to share sponsored posts and monetized selfies.
