February 2025 Social Platform Updates

February was a wild one on social media! Instagram is finally testing a pause button for Reels, Threads engagement is skyrocketing, and Snapchat is taking advantage of the uncertainty surrounding TikTok.

Meanwhile, YouTube wants you watching on TV, LinkedIn video is blowing up, and BuzzFeed is building its own social platform (because why not?).

Catch up on all this and more below!

Bluesky 🦋

✦Bluesky now lets users limit replies to followers only, giving more control over conversations.

Facebook 👍

✦ After 30 days, your video will be deleted from your Page, profile, and Meta servers, with email and Facebook notifications before removal.

Instagram 📷

✦ Instagram is launching “Community Notes,” a feature to add context and keep users better informed.

✦ Instagram is testing a new carousel ad format for Reels, letting users swipe through multiple ads in one go.

✦ Be ready for Instagram’s upcoming app that will let creators film up to 10 minutes, edit with a timeline, save drafts, and view analytics.

✦ Highlights will move to a tab, and creators can now rearrange their grid posts.

✦ Instagram’s vertical profile grid shows up on desktop, not just mobile.

✦ Instagram is testing a private “dislike” button for comments.

✦ Instagram is adding more ways for creators to collaborate with brands, including testimonial comments.

✦ Users can pin up to three messages, translate messages into 99 languages, and schedule messages up to 29 days in advance.

✦ Instagram shows a warning for captions over 500 characters when cross-posting to Threads.

✦ Instagram adds a Reels editing feature that automatically removes all silent moments from your video.

✦Instagram’s new "testimonial" ads let creators get paid for text-only product endorsements in comments.

✦ Instagram is testing a feature that lets users rearrange their profile grid and pause Reels.

Reddit 🔴

✦ Reddit plans to introduce paywalled content and paid subreddits later this year.

LinkedIn 🤝

✦ LinkedIn reports a 36% YoY increase in views, with video creation growing twice as fast as other posts.

✦ Full-screen videos are available on desktop and mobile, letting users swipe or scroll to discover more videos.

✦ More videos will appear in search results, helping users find relevant content.

✦ Tapping a profile picture in full-screen video shows a quick profile snapshot for easier engagement.

✦ A more visible follow button in full-screen video to boost audience growth.

✦ Creators can now track average watch time to measure engagement and content performance.

✦ LinkedIn shows impression counts for comments to see how many people viewed their contributions in discussions.

Snapchat 👻

✦ Snapchat+ is adding new subscriber-only features, including “self-destructing Snaps” and AI-generated stickers.

✦ Snapchat says it has gained from TikTok’s uncertainty, with its creator base growing over 40% YoY in Q4.

Substack 🔸

✦ Substack lets creators publish video posts directly from the app, making on-the-go posting easier.

Threads 🧵

✦ Threads generates 73.6% more engagement than X.

✦ Threads introduces image tagging, making it easier to tag people in photos.

✦ Threads is developing a feature to let users limit post replies to their followers.

TikTok ♪

✦ New features for desktop in an apparent challenge to YouTube.

✦ TikTok's desktop update brings fullscreen horizontal livestreams, a refreshed For You feed, and a sleek new layout.

✦ TikTok now has a floating Chrome window, so you can scroll while you work.

Twitch 🎮

✦ Streamers are now capped at 100 hours of Highlights.

✦ Minor infractions on Twitch will now expire in 90 days, while severe ones, like hateful conduct, will last 1-2 years.

✦ Twitch is adding new tools for co-streaming, boosting creator earnings, and improving its mobile app, per CEO Dan Clancy’s 2025 update.

X 🐦

✦ X (formerly Twitter) is rolling out its dedicated vertical feed globally, following its recent U.S. launch.

YouTube 🎥

✦ The Community tab is now called Posts.

✦ YouTube plans to launch a more affordable version of YouTube Premium.

✦ Subscribers can now watch videos at up to 4x speed.

✦ YouTube Shorts integrates with Google DeepMind for AI-generated video clips.

✦ YouTube is giving select creators “dedicated spaces” to engage with viewers on their channels.

✦ YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced that TV screens have surpassed mobile as the primary device for YouTube viewing in the U.S.

✦ YouTube is tweaking mid-roll ads to appear at natural break points instead of random interruptions. Creators can now choose automatic, manual, or mixed ad placements starting in May!

Others 📝

✦ BuzzFeed is launching “BF Island,” a social media platform focused on positive and creative interactions.

✦ Meta is investing $50M to support creators building mobile and mixed reality virtual worlds.

✦ Amazon shut down Inspire, its TikTok-like shopping feed launched in 2022.

✦ Google’s Gemini can watch YouTube videos and summarize them for you.

✦ Twitch introduced Creator Profiles, letting streamers highlight their content and interests for potential sponsors. Soon, creators can download them as infographics to share outside Twitch!

✦ Meta, the parent company of Instagram, is reportedly considering spinning off Instagram Reels as a separate app.

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