YouTube Announces Several New Features, While Instagram Finally Has an iPad App

This entry was posted in News on September 30, 2025.

October ends with a day dominated by costumes and candy, but there are other key dates throughout the month for brands and creators to note.

The entire month is Global Diversity Awareness Month, and there are also days devoted to causes such as nonviolence, mental health, and breast cancer.

And let’s not forget our Hindu friends, followers, and potential customers, as Diwali falls on Oct. 20.

Social Media Holidays to Mark on Your Calendar

Oct. 1: First day of Global Diversity Awareness Month
Oct. 1: International Coffee Day
Oct. 2: International Day of Nonviolence
Oct. 5: World Teachers Day
Oct. 7: National Taco Day
Oct. 10: World Mental Health Day
Oct. 10: World Dog Day
Oct. 13: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Oct. 19: International Day Against Breast Cancer
Oct. 20: Deepavali/Diwali
Oct. 31: Halloween

Social Media Platform Updates

YouTube

Made on YouTube

The annual Made on YouTube event was the setting where several new features and tools for the Google-owned video platform were revealed. Highlights include:

YouTube teamed up with Google DeepMind to bring a custom version of the latter’s Veo 3 video-generation model to its platform, generating output with lower latency, at 480p, with sound, enabling creators and other users to post YouTube Shorts directly via their smartphones.
New Veo capabilities for Shorts include: the ability to add a motion from another video; the ability to add styles, such as origami and pop art, to videos; and the ability to add characters, effects, or props to videos via a simple text description.
New feature Edit With AI uses artificial intelligence to help creators craft camera roll footage into a first draft, aiding with tasks such as finding and arranging the Short’s best moments, as well as adding music, transitions, and voiceovers.
Another new tool, Speech to Song, lets creators transform dialogue into new sounds.
For YouTube Live, a practice option was added so that creators can test their setup before going live.
Playables on Live let creators incorporate games such as Angry Birds Showdown, Cut the Rope, Tomb of the Mask, Trivia Crack, and Words of Wonders into their live videos while interacting with their audience.
Creators will soon be able to broadcast YouTube Live videos in both horizontal and vertical formats simultaneously, with a single unified chat room.
YouTube is expanding the ability for viewers to react live to YouTube Live content by starting their own vertical livestream on mobile and creating a shared event.
New side-by-side ads help creators monetize their YouTube Live content without disrupting viewers during key moments.
Channel membership creators can now transition from public to members-only livestreams with no interruption.
For YouTube Studio, AI-powered conversational chat tool Ask Studio provides creators with quick insights and analytics on their videos.
The Inspiration Tab in YouTube Studio was updated to provide creators with more ideas to get started and explain why those ideas may work.
YouTube Studio’s thumbnail A/B testing feature was expanded to allow creators to test and compare up to three titles and thumbnails per video.
Up to five collaborators can be added to each video created via YouTube Studio.
Upcoming lip sync technology will make video dubbing more realistic.
Finally, on the monetization front, creators will soon be able to dynamically insert brand segments directly into swappable slots, rather than permanently “burning in” sponsorship segments.
YouTube Shorts creators will soon be able to link to a brand’s site, making it easier for viewers to discover and purchase products.
YouTube will soon use AI to proactively suggest creators who may be good fits with brands in its creator partnerships hub.
For YouTube Shopping, the platform is using an AI-powered system to identify the optimal moment when a product is mentioned and automatically display the product tag at that time.

Other YouTube News

Multi-language audio was extended to millions of creators.
Viewers can now hide pop-up recommendations at the end of videos.
Finally, the platform shared four metrics for creators to focus on: click-through rate, viewer retention, traffic sources, and videos growing your audience.

TikTok

Change Makers

TikTok rolled out several features to amplify charitable campaigns on its platform and introduced its 2025 TikTok Change Makers Program, highlighting 50 mission-driven creators.

When a creator launches a fundraiser on TikTok, users who see the donation sticker or the fundraiser in the creator’s bio can add the information directly to those surfaces on their profiles, extending the reach of those fundraisers.

TikTok also added an in-application list of existing fundraisers that users can browse.

Pack Your Bags

New ad solution Travel Ads powered by Smart+ enables travel advertisers to automatically promote their hotels, flights, and destinations at scale using personalized, catalog-integrated creative.

Optimization models identify high-intent audiences and match them with travel offerings based on their in-market activities and preferences, and brands can combine TikTok’s travel intent model with their catalog data to deliver relevant, personalized travel ads at scale across the entire journey.

Smart+ AI tools can then be used to automate parts of their campaign, including setup, creative generation, and delivery optimization.

TikTok Travel Ads are available in three creative formats: single video, catalog video, and catalog carousel.

Other TikTok News

TikTok beefed up its direct messaging capabilities, enabling users to send voice notes and share up to nine images or videos in one-to-one and group chats.
Moviegoers can now purchase tickets without leaving the TikTok app following an integration with Fandango.
TikTok reached a global content partnership with professional tennis’ ATP Tour and extended its partnership agreement with Spanish soccer league LaLiga.
“Hold My Hand” by Jess Glynne was TikTok’s global and U.S. Song of the Summer for 2025.
Ed Sheeran’s performance of his Play album from Domino Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, set the mark for the most-viewed artist livestream of the year, with more than 2.3 million views across two broadcasts.
Finally, new in-app experiences on TikTok mark the release of Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album and an exclusive TikTok Live concert by Laufey backing new album A Matter of Time.

Instagram

The Wait Is Over

Instagram finally released a dedicated app for Apple’s iPad tablet.

Opening the app brings users to a Reels feed, with easy access to Stories, DMs, and a new Following tab, which lets people choose between:

All: Recommended posts and Reels from accounts they follow.
Friends: Recommended posts and Reels from accounts they follow that follow them back.
Latest: Chronological posts and Reels from accounts they follow, with the most recent posts appearing first.

Instagram said a version for Android tablets is coming soon,

Other Instagram News

The platform began testing a picture-in-picture feature for watching Reels.
A new feature on stand-alone app Threads lets users attach up to 10,000 characters of text to a post.

Pinterest

Top of Search, Top of Mind

Pinterest began beta-testing Top of Search ads, saying that when people shop on its platform, 45% of clicks occur in the top 10 search results, while 96% of top searches are unbranded.

Top of Search ads appear directly within the top 10 search results and in Related Pins, making a brand’s products visible where shopping journeys most often begin, and advertiser catalogs will be highlighted in a brand-exclusive ad unit.

The platform also announced the availability of local inventory ads, letting retailers display real-time prices for in-stock items within a shopper’s local store radius.

Where to Buy?

Pinterest rolled out where-to-buy links, enabling consumer packaged goods brands to steer customers to a selection of retailers, while receiving valuable purchase intent data.

Standard image ads are made instantly shoppable by surfacing multiple in-stock retailer options for a single product directly from an ad, at which point shoppers can immediately view retailer options, choose their preferred retailer, and add the item to their cart for purchase.

Pinterest Presents

The company unveiled several new features and updates at its annual Pinterest Presents marketing event.

Pinterest is aiming to enhance visual discovery on its platform by testing updates that let users save, organize, and shop ideas in boards in more personalized ways.

The updated Trends tool delivers more insights such as seasonal predictive trends, Editors’ Picks, and real-time shopping insights.

New performance features such as image cropping and return on ad spend bidding were added to AI-powered automation suite Pinterest Performance+.

Finally, local inventory can now be highlighted for nearby pickup and delivery.

Other Pinterest News

Pinterest shared several tips for advertisers in advance of the holiday shopping season.
The platform examined abandoned carts and how brands can capture potential lost revenue.
The 2025 Pinterest Fall Trend Report was released.
Finally, the company teamed up with GWI on research showing how Hispanic users are shaping style, wellness, and inspiration on the platform.

Snapchat

14 Years and Counting

CEO Evan Spiegel published 14 Years at Snap Inc., a detailed look at the company’s plans following its lackluster second-quarter-2025 earnings report. Highlights follow:

The company intends to focus on midsized advertisers, saying that they often spend at the scale of large accounts and retain at high rates.
Sponsored Snaps and Promoted Places are proving to be unique, high-impact formats and will be emphasized.
Subscription option Snapchat+ will add new premium features and bolder merchandising.
The platform will soon add livestreaming, as well as new tools enabling creators to build deeper relationships with their biggest fans.
Snapchat plans to adjust its ranking systems to prioritize sharing and conversations.
Snapchat Spotlight will be enhanced with: better tools for regular users to post and be discovered; larger, fresher models that make Spotlight feel more responsive with new creators and timely trends; and higher-quality playback.
Spiegel shared five AI priorities: Build a partner platform that makes Snapchat a valuable distribution channel for AI agents; develop its personalization layer; unlock direct revenue via subscriptions; roll out Sponsored AI Chats; and continue to innovate social AI experiences.
Finally, the new AI-native operating system for Snapchat’s Specs camera-sunglasses understands context and replaces physical products with photons.

Imagine Lens

The company introduced its Imagine Lens, which lets users create, edit, and re-create Snaps by entering their own prompts, and then share their efforts with friends, post them to Stories, or share them outside of the platform.

Lens+ and Snapchat+ Platinum subscribers can find the open-prompt image-generation lens near the front of the Carousel or in the Exclusive category.

Other Snapchat News

Snapchat introduced two new ways for users to personalize their chats. Infinite Retention enables users to save individual conversations for as long as they like. And Group Streaks continue every time a group member shares a Snap to the group.
The company’s new App Power Pack is a suite of new products and optimizations aimed at helping app marketers of any size achieve their goals on the platform.
Over 1 trillion selfie Snaps were shared on the platform in 2024.
Snapchat stickers are now available outside the app via the new iMessage App and Snapchat Keyboard for iOS and Android, and the new Customoji feature auto-creates stickers with any given phrase.
New Memories Storage Plans were released for users who have saved more than five gigabytes of Memories.
Snapchat teamed up with eye square and PMG on a study of the marketing power of generative AI and augmented reality.
Finally, the company shared its guide to the 2025 holiday shopping season.

Feeling the AI Vibes

The newest version of the Meta AI app includes a preview of the new Vibes feed, where users can create and share short-form, AI-generated videos.

Vibes will start out with a range of AI-generated videos from creators and communities, with the feed becoming more personalized with use.

People can create their own videos or remix existing content, and then share their efforts with friends and followers.

Building Those Brands

Meta shared several updates at its Brand Building Summit aimed at helping brands tap into cultural moments on its family of apps.

More advertisers will gain access to Reels trending ads.

Ad formats on stand-alone app Threads were expanded to include carousel ads and a simplified campaign setup.

Brands can now use value rules for awareness and engagement objectives, guiding Meta’s AI-powered ads system toward the audiences that matter most to them.

Finally, Meta said it is enhancing its landing page view optimization to better support advertisers that cannot leverage the Meta pixel, such as a CPG brand driving potential consumers to a partner site where its products are sold.

Other Meta News

Meta is looking to ensure that brands and creators have a happy holiday season by introducing more ways to help brands find the right creators, combining partnership ads with Advantage+ catalog ads so that creators can feature a brand’s merchandise, and making creator testimonials for partnership ads on Instagram available to advertisers globally.

Facebook

Stronger Bonds

Facebook introduced new ways for creators to turn their followers into fans.

Fan Challenges enable creators to prompt fans to create and share unique content, and the efforts that draw the most reactions appear on a leaderboard. Facebook said more than 1.5 million fan entries have been submitted in the past three months.

And creators can now customize their Top Fan Badges.

LinkedIn

Hiring Assistant

LinkedIn began rolling out Hiring Assistant, an AI agent that helps recruiters save time previously devoted to manual tasks, while delivering better outcomes that are more likely to fit the roles they are looking to fill.

Hiring Assistant is now globally available in English, and companies using it include Aurecon, Chewy, Expedia Group, Fabletics, Insite, Jacobs, Mastercard, MediaNews Group, Microsoft, SAP, Siemens, and Verizon.

Backing B2B

LinkedIn introduced new features aimed at helping business-to-business marketers “fill the pipeline” and prove return on investment.

Qualified Leads Optimization optimizes campaign delivery to reach members most likely to meet an advertiser’s pipeline criteria, such as marketing qualified leads and sales qualified leads.

Meanwhile, Conversion Value Optimization ensures that campaigns are optimized to maximize the value returned from each conversion.

On the measurement front, Conversion Lift Testing isolates the incremental effect of advertising by comparing conversion performance between a randomized exposed group and a control group who didn’t see the brand’s ads.

Finally, the professional network’s new Book an Appointment feature enables real-time sales call scheduling directly within Lead Gen Forms.

Join Our Newsletter

Let's create together

Get in Touch