Instagram has rolled two vital features out to everyone after limited availability

Instagram logo on phone
Instagram logo on phone (Image credit: Joe Maring / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Instagram has rolled out a Security Checkup feature to help people keep their accounts secure.
  • People can now manage their Instagram activity from within the app.
  • Both new features were previously available to some people but can now be used by everyone.

Instagram has rolled two new features out to users after initially making them available to a limited group. Now, both Your Activity and Security Checkup are available to everyone.

Security Checkup is a feature that was previously only made available to people whose accounts had been compromised but it's now available to all. Found in the Instagram settings, the feature guides people through making sure their account is secure by ensuring contact details are correct and that a strong password is being used. Instagram also says that two-factor authentication is encouraged, too.

Last summer, we introduced Security Checkup for people whose accounts may have been hacked. Now, this feature is available to everyone worldwide. Security Checkup guides people through the steps needed to secure their account including: checking login activity, reviewing profile information, confirming the accounts that share login information and updating account recovery contact information such as a phone number or email address. To complete Security Checkup, go to your Profile and tap the menu in the upper right corner, next tap "Settings", "Security" then tap "Security Checkup."

Another arrival is Your Activity, an area within the app that gives people the chance to manage their interactions with people as well as their search history and more.

People will now be able to bulk manage (delete, archive) their content (posts, stories, videos and Reels) and their interactions (comments, likes, story sticker reactions, etc.) In addition, people will be able to sort and filter their content and interactions by date and search for past comments, likes and stories replies from specific date ranges, all in one place. You can also use this to find content that you've recently deleted or archived, check out your search history, see the links you've visited and the amount of time you've spent on the platform and download your information.To access "Your activity" go to your Profile and tap the menu in the upper right corner, next tap "Your activity".

Both of these new features should now be available to everyone and should definitely be checked out.

Instagram is the best iPhone app for people who want to share images and videos with others but it has suffered from security scares in the past and accounts have been compromised at times. Making sure to follow the Security Checkup steps is a very good idea for all Instagram users.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.