Instagram has finally closed the lid on how its algorithm works . Before July 2016 , users missed 50 % of their friends ' posts due to the reverse chronological news feed . Instagram now says that relevancy sorting has led to its 100 million - plus users seeing 90 % of their friends ' posts and spending more time on the app . The social media giant revealed how it uses machine learning based on users ' past experiences to create a unique feed . The three key factors used by the algorithm were interest , when a post was deleted and a user 's relationship with the person who shared it .
Instagram has finally lifted the lid on how its algorithm works. Before July 2016, users missed 50% of their friends' posts due to the reverse chronological news feed. Instagram now says that relevancy sorting has led to its 800 million-plus users seeing 90% of their friends' posts and spending more time on the app. The social media giant revealed how it uses machine learning based on users' past behaviour to create a unique feed. The three key factors used by the algorithm include interest, when a post was shared and a user's relationship with the person who shared it.