Instagram is officially testing the chronological feed

Instagram’s feed is a point of contention for a lot of users. The company, which is owned by Facebook, has worked on the way it’s laid out, and the way people see posts, on a semi-regular basis for quite some time now. But one thing that a lot of users have requested, a return to the chronological feed, has been missing. It was teased in December, and now it’s here finally.

A white Instagram logo set against a colorful background

Kind of. Almost. While it’s not the set standard, it may soon be depending on how tests go. Right now, Instagram is testing the chronological feed. Specifically, according to Instagram lead Adam Mosseri, Instagram is testing the ability for users to quickly switch between three different views of the Instagram feed. Home, Following, and Favorites.

Here’s how that breaks down:

  • Home: This is the standard feed that Instagram utilizes right now. So, if a user chooses this option then their feed won’t change at all from how it works now.
  • Favorites: This option will show content from the user-chosen list of favorite users.
  • Following: This is the chronological option, because it operates as a way to see all of the posts –posted chronologically– from all the accounts a user is following.

Moving forward, the “Home” feed is going to start showing off a lot more recommended accounts. This is why Instagram believes that offering up a chronological feed, something that gives a more personal stream of content from the accounts an individual user follows, is the right move.

As noted in the tweet, the chronological option is also present for Favorites, which is worth noting if you don’t want to try to wade through every single account you follow on the social platform.

It all comes down to options, and that’s always a good thing. Better late than never, one imagines.