 "Meta's Instagram tests YouTube-like ads that you cannot skip: Details here")
In a bid to make Instagram more lucrative for advertisers, the social media platform from Meta is testing a new feature called “ad breaks”. With it, Instagram will show you advertisements (ads) that you cannot skip. This means that to continue scrolling the content feed, you will have to watch the complete ad.
The ad break will appear after a fixed number of posts and halt your scrolling to make you watch the complete ad. It is unclear if this change will be applied to reels or stories and the Meta owned social media platform has not provided any information about whether it will be applicable for all users globally.
The feature was first spotted by X and Reddit users and has been confirmed by Instagram spokesperson Matthew Tye to The Verge. He said that Instagram would “provide updates should this test result in any formal product changes.”
A screenshot shared by Reddit users shows a timer displayed on the screen that let you know how much time is left for the ad to complete. When the icon is tapped for more information, Instagram tells that this is a new ad viewing method on the platform and users will have to occasionally view an ad before continuing to browse.
Instagram already shows ads and sponsored posts while scrolling but they can be skipped. This feature will make Instagram similar to the free version of YouTube as YouTube also shows unskippable ads for its main and TV app. Tiktok also allows ads in between the videos but you can swipe to skip them. There is no option on Instagram to remove ads except for users in Europe.