Time Spent on App

Instagram will soon show users how much time they spend in the app

By Chaim Gartenberg@cgartenberg 

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Instagram is getting a new “Usage Insights” tool that helps users see how much time they’ve spent in the social media app, according to a discovery from app researcher Jane Manchun Wong who found the feature hidden in the code of Instagram’s Android app (via TechCrunch).


Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom later confirmed the original report in a series of tweets, commenting that the company is “building tools that will help the IG community know more about the time they spend on Instagram — any time should be positive and intentional.”

There aren’t any actual details about what the feature will entail, but it marks Instagram as the latest major company to start thinking about how users are engaging with their products, following in the footsteps of companies like Google and parent company Facebook. Most recently, Google announced that Android P will include several features to help users manage their time on their phones more wisely, including detailed breakdowns of how long they’ve been using different apps.