Instagram is working on a new search with photo and video offerings similar to TikTok
Instagram announced Wednesday a new search engine for its mobile app that will show suggestions for photos and videos instead of user accounts, hashtags and locations. The feature, which is still being rolled out, will make it easier to find new posts about exactly what a user is looking for, and is similar in many ways to what TikTok already offers.
Information about the upcoming changes to Instagram's search engine has been published on the company's official blog, which describes how search currently works and how Instagram wants to improve it. Currently, if you search for something on Instagram, you will only see a list with relevant profiles or hashtags, but no photo or video content is displayed.
Instagram wants to show photos and videos of what you're looking for, which should allow users to discover new content they might be interested in. The company has also shared a screenshot showing how Instagram's new search works, which can be seen in the main image of this article.
If this sounds familiar to you, it's because that's how search works in TikTok. You don't have to search for a specific user here. Users can simply search for a topic they like, and then TikTok will show related videos. Of course, as TikTok has become increasingly popular, it's no surprise that Instagram wanted to go down the same path as its rival social network.
No word yet on when the new search will be available to Instagram users, but it is expected to be available for English-language search results first.