Instagram tests controversial unskippable ads in the app

It's no surprise that Meta's biggest source of revenue comes from advertising. However, it seems like the company is willing to make advertising a little more intrusive, at least on Instagram.

That's because Instagram is testing a new way of displaying ads that users can't skip.

Instagram shows non-skippable ads to users

According to some Instagram users, this social network has been displaying 'ad breaks' (short ads inserted at the beginning, middle of videos or image ads) when navigating through its application. Ad breaks This lasts a few seconds and cannot be skipped, so users have to watch to the end to continue scrolling through their feed. Dan Levy, one of the users who discovered the ad break, called this decision was a 'crazy move' .

In a post on Reddit, more Instagram users said they saw ad breaks while browsing the app. But does this really happen to all Instagram users?

Not yet, but maybe later. A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company is always 'testing formats that can deliver value to advertisers' and will 'provide updates' if these tests lead to 'any changes'. Any official changes to the product' . The company declined to say whether the tests were being done globally and whether they applied to Reels and Stories.

If Instagram officially introduces an ad break feature to its app, it would make the platform more similar to YouTube, which also shows unskippable ads to free users. However, except for users in Europe, there is still no way to pay to remove ads from Instagram.

Instagram tests controversial unskippable ads in the app Picture 1 Instagram tests controversial unskippable ads in the app Picture 1