Instagram Testing Feature to Notify Users of Outage or Issue Inside App

Days after two outages crippled Facebook Inc’s (FB.O) services, Instagram announced on Monday that it is testing a feature that will inform users of outages or technical issues directly on the photo-sharing app.

Instagram said in a blog post that the test will take place in the United States and will last a few months.

On October 4, the company’s 3.5 billion users were unable to access its social media and messaging services, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger, due to a six-hour outage. find out more

According to user reports from web monitoring firm Downdetector, many users had issues with Instagram earlier on Monday.

The business also plans to launch a feature that would make it easier for users to see if their account is at risk of being disabled.

Following the disruptions, the social media behemoth has been the subject of memes and jokes on Twitter. It’s also dealing with former employee turned whistleblower Frances Haugen’s claims that the firm prioritized profit over cracking down on hate speech and disinformation. find out more

Haugen has agreed to meet with Facebook’s oversight board in the coming weeks to update them on what she learned while working at the firm. She gave the papers that underpin a Wall Street Journal investigation and a Senate hearing on Instagram’s harm to underage girls.