Social media updates and new features to know this week
Including WhatsApp, TikTok, LinkedIn and more.
Hello, social people! This week brings some new tools and features for advertisers looking to make their campaigns easier to build and more user-friendly Let’s take a look and see where these updates can be most beneficial to your social game plan.
WhatsApp just added three new group chat features to make conversations easier to manage. Users can now choose a custom “member tag” in each group so others can see their role or context, like “Coach” or “Team Lead.” Users will also be able to turn any word into a text sticker directly from the search bar. Finally, users can set custom reminders for group events so everyone can plan ahead.
These tweaks help make group chats clearer and better organized, especially in busy or big groups, the app makers said.
Previously, WhatsApp announced a plan to test usernames as displays rather than phone numbers to help improve privacy protections. That change is now being trialed with some users, according to Android Police.
The idea is to help protect sensitive data from being easily accessible, the outlet reported. While the feature is still in a beta testing period, WhatsApp plans to roll out username displays later this year.
LinkedIn is expanding its AI-powered job search tools so more people around the world can use them.
Last quarter, LinkedIn launched an AI job search feature. Instead of typing exact keywords or job titles, users could describe what they want in plain language and the AI helps find roles that match specific goals. This feature now works in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese.
The intent is to help make job searching easier, especially for people who don’t know the “right” job terms or filters, LinkedIn’s Erran Berger said.
TikTok
TikTok is phasing out its Custom Identity option, which let advertisers run ads without linking to a TikTok account.
Starting this month, all new ad campaigns will need to be launched from a verified TikTok profile to continue running ads on the platform.
The change is meant to boost transparency, trust and ad performance, TikTok says. Ads tied to real profiles tend to engage better and unlock more tools and advanced optimization.
Threads
Threads is testing mini-games users can play inside direct messages, such as a tiny basketball game users can send to friends and play while they chat. This is an experiment aimed at keeping people engaged in the app.
There’s no official launch date yet, per Social Media Today.
Reddit is launching Max campaigns, a new AI-powered ad format that’s in beta for select advertisers.
These campaigns automate things like targeting, creative selection, placements and budgets, so ads can perform better with less manual work. Early tests show lower costs per action and more conversions compared to traditional ads.
Reddit says a big part of this is that advertisers still get clear insights into who’s engaging with their ads through features like “Top Audience Personas,” which uses AI to group audiences by interests and show which ones respond best.
This helps businesses understand performance and audiences better while the AI handles optimization.
X
X’s Head of Product, Nikita Bier, shared a new notification feature on the X app: a “Priority” tab in notifications that highlights interactions from people users follow back as well as large accounts so people don’t miss important activity on posts. This tab becomes visible once a user has at least 500 followers.
This change is meant to help users see the most relevant engagement first, especially in busy timelines.
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at [email protected].
