Meta to shutdown its Substack competitor in early 2023

Source: Meta

Meta tried to go after Substack with its newsletter platform Bulletin. However, the company doesn't see a future for it, with plans to shut it down by "early 2023. Bulletin was announced back in June 2021, pitching it as a platform "focused on empowering independent writers, helping them reach new audiences and power their businesses." The idea was similar to Substack, where readers could subscribe to newsletters from the writers they liked, and the writers could charge money for their work and other perks.

Some writers Meta added to the service include Malcolm Gladwell and Tan France. The company promised it wouldn't take a cut from the subscriptions until 2023. Unfortunately, the service hasn't taken off as well as Meta liked. And now Bulletin joins some of the company's projects being shut down.

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Meta wants to make it easy to switch between Facebook and Instagram accounts

Source: Meta

Facebook and Instagram users might get an easier time switching between their accounts. Meta wants to consolidate the apps under its accounts manager so you can toggle between the two apps and see your notifications in one place. It should also work if you handle multiple accounts. 

Meta has also tweaked its user-registration process to make it easier to log in and create new Facebook and Instagram accounts. It should make it easier for the company to attract more users for both apps in just one spot. The new account management features is limited to Facebook and Instagram for now. But it is exploring on bringing this connected across its different platforms. 

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Instagram fixes sound bug plaguing Reels exports

If you use Instagram to edit and record the short-form vertical videos you share on all platforms, you'll be happy to learn the company fixed a bug that took out sound from Reels when you downloaded from the editing screen. The problem seems to have impacted iOS users, and Meta has addressed the issue. Seine Kim, a spokesperson for Instagram's parent company, Meta, confirmed the change wasn't intentional and it has already rolled out a fix on Friday. So, if you've been having this issue, it might be time to update your Instagram app.

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Instagram latest experiment copies BeReal's features

Source: Alessandro Paluzzi

Unsurprisingly, a new feature Instagram is testing out copies another buzzy social media app. Just as it paterned its Stories feature from Snapchat's Stories, the Meta-owned app is now setting its sights on BeReal, an app that prompts you to take photos from the front and rear camera within two minutes of clicking the notification. Instagram is testing its take on this feature through its copied Stories feature.

The company is calling it "IG Candid Challenges." According to leaker and reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, the feature lives within Instagram's Stories section and is an opt-in feature. You'll get prompted to post a story at different times a day within two minutes. It will use the Dual feature Instagram introduced for Stories in July. While it is being tested there is no guarantee that Instagram will roll this out to users. But with the buzz BeReal is getting, we wouldn't be surprised if the company pushes through with it.

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