Use This App to Block Ads and Videos on Instagram
Instagram is experiencing an identity crisis. Should it be more like TikTok? More like Facebook? It’s been out of sorts for years , and in the process, it’s annoying the hell out of everyone.
At the moment, the Instagram experience is pretty bad, full of intrusive ads and inappropriate videos from creators that you might not want to know about. (Now the main complaint is that creators that people actually follow rarely even show up in feeds. If you want to see their post, you need to find them.)
What can you do with the OG app
The OG app aims to address these issues, and it’s the first app I’ve seen in a long time that actually offers a decent third-party Instagram experience. However, it is currently only available on Android . When I first tested this app, it was also available for iOS. It’s unclear why Apple removed the app , but we’ll be monitoring the situation and will update this article when we know more.
As soon as you log into your Instagram account, OG takes the content and builds your feed from scratch – and it’s much better than using the Instagram app or even a smaller web version.
With the OG app, you get your regular feed, stories, private messages, and comments. It ‘s similar to the Instagram app, but it’s free of ads, recommended posts, and Reels infection. You can go to a dedicated Reels tab to watch videos, but that’s where they live, only showing up when you want them to. What’s more, you can go to “Settings” to turn off the reels and the “Explore” page completely.
The OG app can also create different lists with different public profiles (concept taken directly from Twitter lists, but no complaints here). I can create different lists to follow the authors I like in different niches like coffee, tech, lettering, design, and more. Once the list is created, the application creates a separate feed just for those accounts.
All of these features can help you hate Instagram a little less. So what do you think? Is the OG app enough to enjoy using Instagram again? If not, there are other tips you can try to make Instagram a little better.
This article was updated on Wednesday, September 28 following the removal of The OG app from the iOS App Store.
[ TechCrunch ]