September 2025 Social Platform Updates

Hey Social Navigators 🖖

It isn’t even October, but Instagram is already giving us the scares! Suddenly those ultra-wide “thinnest video” clips are everywhere, making your Reels feel straight out of a movie. 

Speaking of Instagram, it hit 3 billion users and is celebrating with a slick UI refresh that puts Reels front and center.

Over on LinkedIn, creators can edit videos in CapCut and even show off their Duolingo scores. 

Threads is stepping up too, rolling out Communities and support for long-form posts. 

All of this and so much more from the land of social. Let’s get to it.

Instagram 📷

✦ Ultra-wide 5120x1080 “thinnest video” is blowing up, giving Reels a cinematic, movie-like vibe.

✦ Instagram finally has a native iPad app, opening right to Reels, showing Stories on top, and making comments and messages easy to check.

✦ Instagram is adding a ‘Your Algorithm’ setting so users can fine-tune their feed.

✦ DMs are getting a new feature that lets you draw anywhere in chats.

✦ Adam Mosseri says Instagram fixed an issue where posting a lot of Stories in a single day reduces reach.

✦ Edits lets you control fade speeds for smoother transitions, save your favorite sound effects, and easily convert clips to overlays and back.

✦ Mosseri says his team is thinking about adding a 3:4 video aspect ratio in Edits.

✦ Instagram is testing a new ad format called “Post Previews.”

✦ A new content type called ‘Shots’ is coming for users to share one-view-only pics next to Notes that disappear after followers check them out.

✦ Automated lead detection is here for brands to see which incoming DMs are potential leads without digging through messages.

✦ Users can pin their own comments and curate their comment threads.

✦ Posts tests including links to drive visitors straight to products, services, or other pages.

✦ Users will soon be able to replace images or videos in carousel posts without having to delete and redo the entire post.

✦ Chat folders have arrived to organize DMs into custom folders like story replies, unread, unanswered, followers and verified users.

✦ Picture-in-picture for Reels keeps you watching while doing other stuff on your device, making multitasking easier while keeping you glued to the app.

✦ You can now split audio directly in the app.

✦ Instagram hits 3 billion monthly users and is testing ways to give people more control over their feeds. They’re also rolling out a UI refresh that makes Reels even more central to the experience.

✦ Search shortcuts are showing up at the bottom of Reels for easier access.

✦ Adam Mosseri clarifies there’s no perfect wait time between posts - it depends on your audience.

✦ New AI-powered notification ranking mixes things up to keep alerts useful and less repetitive.

LinkedIn 🤝

✦ LinkedIn integrates with CapCut so creators can edit videos there and post straight to LinkedIn, complete with captions and a “Made with CapCut” badge.

✦ LinkedIn adds two new analytics, Saves and Sends, so creators can see which posts are being bookmarked or shared privately.

✦ LinkedIn is testing a curated lineup of AI tools, including Microsoft Copilot, Canva, and Descript, to help professionals with coding, design, and career coaching.

✦ More company pages (those on LinkedIn’s Premium Company Page plan) can now request verification checkmarks.

✦ Profiles can now display Duolingo scores for language skills, paired with AI-powered mock interviews to prep job seekers. 

✦ LinkedIn is updating Terms of Service to clarify how it uses AI and ad targeting, including deeper integration with Microsoft data.

✦ A new Company Intelligence API gives developers and partners access to richer business data.

Meta ♾️

✦ Meta just dropped Ray-Ban Display smart glasses, with a peekable in-lens screen and AI features that let creators capture and preview content hands-free, priced at $799.

✦ Meta is adding tasks to its platforms, starting with Instagram, so users can set one-time or recurring tasks with reminders until completed.

✦ Meta is adding more ad options on Reels and Threads, including trending placements, carousel ads, and bigger images.

✦ Meta’s new incremental attribution uses AI to better show which ads drive conversions.

Facebook 👍

✦ Facebook now labels Story viewers on Pages, showing who’s a follower and who isn’t.

✦ Pages’ broadcast channels now have Insights to track engagement and performance.

✦ Facebook is removing group chats.

✦ Facebook is bringing back Pokes with gamified elements and easier access.

✦ Meta is introducing two AI-powered features to Facebook Dating: an assistant chatbot to help users find better matches and a weekly "Meet Cute" surprise match to reduce swipe fatigue.

Pinterest 📌

✦ Pinterest’s new campaign highlights its in-app product discovery tools, making it easier for users to find exactly what they’re looking for.

✦ Pinterest is letting brands add multiple “where-to-buy” links on a single Pin so users can tap “Find retailers” and choose their preferred store directly. 

✦ Rising summer searches in the Southern Hemisphere highlight demand for outdoor living, travel, food, and fashion.

✦ Pinterest Presents 2025 will showcase the platform’s newest tools, trend data, and marketing insights on Sept. 25.

✦ An Educators’ Fund has been launched to support teachers and creators making educational content.

Reddit 👽

✦ A new feature lets you read articles in the app while keeping comments visible as you scroll.

Snapchat 👻

✦ New Imagine Lens turns text prompts into custom AI-powered images.

✦ Snapchat introduces Infinite Retention (letting users save chats forever) and Group Streaks (extending streaks to group chats).

✦ Snap OS 2.0 brings a revamped AR experience with a new browser, gallery, and games for its upcoming Spectacles.

✦ Snapchatters snapped over a trillion selfies in 2024, more than double the 500b taken by iPhone users.

Threads 🧵

✦ Threads is testing Communities, topic-based groups for more focused chats.

✦ Posts now include up to 10,000-character text attachments.

✦ Threads is working on a feature for users to “tag” its algorithm to better tune their feed.

TikTok ♪

✦ Beginning September 1, TikTok will require advertisers on TikTok Shop to use its AI-driven GMV Max campaign tool.

✦  TikTok Go is live in the US, Indonesia, and Japan, an exclusive invite-only program letting creators earn commission for promoting hotels, restaurants, and local experiences.

✦ TikTok is rolling out Comment with Image to more users, and you can now mix up to 6 photos and videos in a single Layout post.

✦ Send voice messages and attach up to 9 photos or videos in DMs.

✦ New analytics show trending topics, keywords, and audience insights.

✦ TikTok’s 2025 Change Makers program highlights 50 creators and adds donation stickers to make supporting causes easier.

X 🐦

✦ X is facing regulatory pushback in New York over its in-stream payments plan, as authorities question the platform’s financial fitness and Musk’s past regulatory signaling. 

✦ X published its algorithm’s core ranking factors, revealing that replies (especially replies that themselves get replies) carry massive weight in the “For You” feed.

✦ The platform is moving toward a fully AI-powered, customizable algorithm by November, allowing users to adjust their feeds via Grok. 

✦ X rolled out “Boost” for Premium users to increase post reach via predefined impression tiers. 

✦ Ad revenue for Q2 slipped to $707m, marking a 2.2% drop, even as year-over-year numbers remain positive.

YouTube 🎥

✦ YouTube now lets strong language slide in the first 7 seconds without killing monetization.

✦ YouTube rolls out dynamic brand segments in sponsored content to keep videos fresh and earn more.

✦ YouTube announced $100B+ in payouts to creators and rolled out 30+ updates across shopping, brand deals, AI tools, podcasts, live streaming, and music.

✦ YouTube launched new ways for creators to earn with brand deals, AI product tags, and an expanded Shopping program.

✦ YouTube Shorts has an Effects Maker, improved comment controls, and brand collaboration tagging for creators.

✦ YouTube allows viewers to hide end-screen recommendation pop-ups by tapping a new Hide button in the top right corner and you can bring them back via a Show button.

Others 📝

✦ Kajabi just hit $10B in payouts to creators, proving you can turn your audience into a real business with multiple revenue streams, without relying on social media algorithms.

✦ Creator marketing is set to hit $500B by 2027 and going data-driven with briefs, creator picks, and content testing is the way to actually see results.

✦ Google Discover is getting a refresh with more creator content like Instagram, X, and YouTube Shorts, plus a follow button so you can keep up with your favorite creators easily.

✦ TikTok alternative Skylight’s new update adds community curators, so users can create personalized feeds.

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