Instagram has become the app everyone loves to hate.
What started as a minimalist photo-sharing platform is now a chaotic mess of Reels spam, shadow moderation, AI overreach, and confusing design decisions. And according to creators on Reddit, it’s only getting worse and its hard to fix Instagram!
We dug into one of the most honest threads on the r/Instagram subreddit where users were asked one simple question:
“What would you change about Instagram if you could?”
The answers? Brutal. Insightful. And 100% spot-on.
If Meta’s team ever read Reddit, this is the redesign roadmap they’d be too scared to implement — but we’re writing it anyway.
TL;DR: Here’s What Real Users Would Fix About Instagram
-
Kill the Reels spam — users are sick of TikTok clones shoved into every feed
-
Bring back chronological order and stop pushing suggested content over followed accounts
-
Let us control what we see — NSFW filters, less ads, and no more algorithmic chaos
-
Give us basic features back — clickable links, real hashtag search, square posts, and Save folders that work
-
Stop the creepy tracking and AI bans — moderation is out of control, and Meta’s support is MIA
We Just Want the Old Instagram Back
This isn’t nostalgia — it’s desperation.
Over and over, users in the Reddit thread said the same thing in different ways:
“Bring back the Instagram we actually liked.”No Reels autoplaying. No TikTokification. No ads sandwiched between every third post. Just… a clean grid of photos from people you follow — in chronological order. Remember that? Instagram doesn’t.
The most upvoted requests weren’t for new features. They were for removal of the garbage that’s ruined the experience:
-
Chronological feeds that don’t refresh every time you sneeze
-
No more “suggested for you” spam in the main feed
-
Less Reels. Fewer stories. More posts.
-
Control over what’s shown — especially for NSFW content, which some users say is being pushed aggressively with no opt-out
-
Make it about content again, not just engagement farming and forced trends
Users don’t hate Instagram because it’s old. They hate it because it forgot what made it great — simplicity, creativity, connection.
Instead, it’s become a bloated, TikTok-meets-Facebook hybrid. And the people who built its success? They’re either quitting the app or desperately asking for a rollback to when it actually worked.
The Features We Miss (That Instagram Quietly Killed)
Instagram didn’t just add garbage. It also deleted gold.As the platform evolved into a monetized attention machine, it quietly stripped out features users actually valued — or buried them so deep in the UX you’d need a GPS to find them.
Here’s what creators and everyday users say they want back:
-
Clickable links in captions – Still not a thing in 2025. Still infuriating.
-
Save folders that work – Users report broken or missing Saved lists and no real way to organize content.
-
See who liked what – Remember when you could see what your friends were engaging with? Gone.
-
Reels saved to camera roll – Removed. Why? Nobody knows.
-
Mixed aspect ratio support for multi-slide posts – It works sometimes for photos… but not for videos.
-
Send a comment directly to DMs – Like TikTok. But of course, Meta missed that one.
And then there are the smaller, but deeply missed touches:
Square profile layouts. Real-time notifications. Control over grid cropping. Chronological Explore content.Users aren’t asking for revolutionary innovation. They just want a platform that functions without friction — and respects their habits instead of trying to retrain them every update.
What’s Pissing Users Off Right Now (And What Instagram Keeps Getting Wrong)
Here’s where the gloves come off — because users aren’t just disappointed, they’re fed up.
Scroll through the thread and you’ll see the same rage, again and again. People feel like they’re being treated less like users and more like ad targets inside a glitchy casino app.
Here’s what Instagram keeps screwing up:
-
Too many ads — They’re everywhere. In-feed, Stories, Reels, Explore. It’s not a content app anymore — it’s a digital shopping mall.
-
Zero transparency in moderation — People are getting suspended or shadowbanned for things they can’t appeal, explain, or even identify. And don’t expect help — Meta’s support might as well be a magic 8-ball with a broken response button.
-
Aggressive AI — From bans to nudity detection to flagging comments, Meta’s AI is overreaching, inconsistent, and completely disconnected from context.
-
Pushy integrations with Facebook — Nobody wants their IG content double-posted to Facebook. It’s annoying, clunky, and breaks the vibe.
-
Creepy “like visibility” — Why are you showing what I liked to random followers? Who asked for that?
-
Broken notifications — Updates now include “X just posted a Story” or “Check today’s top Reels,” buried in your notification tab where actual engagement used to live.
And let’s not forget the content algorithm — it’s pushing everything except what people actually want to see. Friends? Hidden. Ads, influencer bait, rage clips? Top priority.
It’s not just user-hostile. It’s hostile to attention spans, creativity, and actual social connection.
If Instagram Cared About Creators, It Would Add These Features
Creators aren’t asking for luxury — they’re asking for basic respect.
Instagram loves to flaunt how much it “supports creators,” but if you actually use the platform to build something, you know better. Monetization is inconsistent. Discovery is rigged. Support is nonexistent. And most of the tools creators need aren’t even on the roadmap.
So what would a creator-first Instagram actually look like?
-
Insightful analytics — not just vanity metrics. Give us real data: save rates, comment-to-view ratios, retention curves, audience overlap across posts.
-
Creator-safe moderation — no more random takedowns with no appeal path. Give creators an actual review panel with real support — not bots.
-
Built-in monetization tools — real affiliate linking, smart commerce integrations, tip jars, and creator-owned storefronts.
-
Fair reach mechanics — stop punishing creators who don’t post every day or who take a mental health break. Momentum shouldn’t mean slavery.
-
A way to escape the algorithm — a tab for organic reach only, where content is shown based on actual interest, not engagement bait.
-
Smarter post scheduling + bulk tools — why do we still need third-party apps for something that should be native?
Right now, Instagram uses creators to fill its feed — and throws them into the same pile as scam bots and OF promo spam. If Meta really wanted creators to stay, it would stop treating them like liabilities and start building for them, not just advertisers.
Instagram Isn’t Broken — It’s Just Not Built for You Anymore
The real problem isn’t that Instagram doesn’t work. It works exactly as Meta wants it to.It boosts Reels over photos. It floods your feed with ads. It buries your friends and force-feeds you rage clips, nudity bait, and influencer sludge. It auto-bans creators and offers no support. And it does it all because that chaos makes Meta money.
But none of it makes the app better for you.
The truth is, Instagram stopped being a platform for users a long time ago. It’s now a tool for Meta to push commerce, collect data, and keep you doomscrolling through stuff you didn’t ask for. That’s why so many people in this Reddit thread — and beyond — are saying the same thing:
“We just want the old Instagram back.”
And if that’s not possible, maybe it’s time to stop playing their game entirely.
-
