Instagram has confirmed that it is testing unskippable ads after screenshots of the feature began circulating on social media. According to informational text displayed in the Instagram app, these new ad breaks will display a countdown timer that prevents users from browsing more content on the app until they view the ad.
The change would make the social network more like a free version of YouTube, which requires users to watch ads before and in between videos. It makes sense that Instagram would consider going this route as well, since over the past few years it has also become a video sharing network rather than just a place to share still photos thanks to features like Stories and Reels.
“We’re always testing formats that may add value to advertisers,” a Meta company spokesperson told TechCrunch. “As we test and learn, we will provide updates if any formal product changes result from this testing,” he added.
The new “ad break” feature was first spotted by Instagram app user Dan Levy, who posted a screenshot of the test on his account on X. He said that when the ad appeared the app prevented Levy from scrolling past the ad – he thought this was a “crazy move”.
A Follow-up posts on Reddit He explained that if you click the info icon next to an ad break for more information, you’ll see a message that says: “You’re watching an ad break. Ad breaks are a new way to view ads on Instagram. Sometimes you may need to watch an ad before you can continue browsing.”
Other commenters confirmed that they too have seen this feature many times. As you can imagine, most of the reactions were negative. Some people threatened to shut down Instagram if they got more of these “ad breaks,” while others said they would stop using the app altogether. Furthermore, commenters questioned whether this decision was driven by the need to increase engagement on ads at the expense of the consumer experience.
Levy’s post has been recirculated by other accounts on X, Like @howfxr And @dexerto,
Instagram declined to say where ad breaks appear in the Instagram app and whether the company is testing the feature globally. However, screenshots show ad breaks appearing in the app’s feed when viewing video posts. It’s unclear at this time whether Instagram creators will have any control over when these ads appear.
At the moment, the feature is only a test, but it shows the extent to which Meta is willing to experiment with the app’s core user experience in order to increase ad revenue.
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