Instagram has finally fixed the confusing refresh style.

「Quick Links. When updating Instagram, I felt like stepping back into my old self. Recently, I've been feeling that Instagram is resetting itself. Why does BlueSky's approach feel better? Instagram is finally trying to fix its refresh feature. Is it enough?'

Instagram's refresh function had been broken for a long time, and despite many complaints, nothing changed until now. Instagram has made several changes on how to process the refresh, but is it enough?

No winning ad zone was found below the bottom paragraph. No winning ad zone was found within the content-native ad zone.

「I liked remembering what happened every time I updated Instagram」

I enjoy recalling how Instagram functioned in the 2010s. Of course, the app has been refined and many new features have been added, but at least back then, feed updates were not as chaotic as today's experience.

Remove Ads

Instagram was simple back then. Posts from people you follow were displayed in chronological order, and refreshing brought them to the top. There were few ads, no recommended posts, and everything was clean and organized.

While engagement is lower than Instagram, I think it should be fine. Scrolling for long periods often leads me back to the same posts, and the timing to close the app is clear.

On these days, Instagram feels like a reset rather than a refresh

These are days when there is no chronological feed, and Instagram's algorithm makes judgments. Still, you can switch manually on mobile apps. In the future, your feed will be a combination of posts from people you follow and content suggested by accounts you like on Instagram. Actually, suggested posts now take up almost half of the Instagram experience.

「I have no issues with the suggested posts themselves — they engage me and help me find creators I love.」

Remove Ads

「What surprises me is its uncertainty. When updating the page, your feed is replaced with a completely different set of recommended posts. The feeling of updating is like pressing a reset button, which gives me headaches.」

An example of why this reset irritates me. I use focus mode throughout the day, and Instagram is one of them. During breaks, I temporarily stop focus mode to scroll through Instagram for a few minutes.

「I often find myself enjoying a video when the timer cuts out, and the app closes automatically. A few seconds later, I try to complete the video by opening Instagram, but I discover that Instagram has refreshed, and the video is forever lost — forever gone.」

Scrolling through old posts to find reels is not helpful, and Instagram's search function is almost useless for finding reels. If you encounter a suggested reel you like, save or like it immediately. Once it's gone, there's no way to get it back.

Why BlueSky's approach feels very comfortable

Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek | Andrey Yarantsev / Shutterstock

Instagram's crazy refresh style makes me grateful for how BlueSky handles the feed. Unlike Instagram, BlueSky provides you with control. You can subscribe to a custom feed that matches your interests without having to rely on unpredictable suggested posts.

This means that there is no need to keep your timeline interesting by constantly seeking out unpredictable suggestions. By adding only the feeds I enjoy, the content remains consistent. There is no constant randomness — only the posts you like are displayed.

Instagram is finally trying to fix its refresh feature — is it enough?

Instagram is making adjustments. They recently fixed a bug called 'Rugpull' — an annoying error where videos being watched get cut off when the app updates.

Remove Ads

That's in the right direction, but it's not enough. I want Instagram to feel like a new account every time I update. I want some consistency in my feed so I don't constantly search for lost posts. And I want random refreshes to be stopped for one second when the app switches.

I hope Instagram improves its refresh feature. In the meantime, if your feed feels messy, you can organize it like this.