Popular Instagram feature no longer available to millions of users following sudden overnight change

Meta doesn't seem to be listening to our reminders that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Holding the keys to the kingdoms of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, Meta is behind three of the most downloaded apps and weilds some serious power.

Whether it be catching up with old pals from school on Facebook, keeping up with the family WhatsApp, or sharing pictures of your viral Labubu Matcha coffees on Instagram, all are a regular part of many people's daily lives.

While Instagram has carved itself an impressive legacy for creativity, and some people make their whole careers from being influencers, it's not without its complaints.

Much like how WhatsApp continues to be called out for making seemingly unnecessary changes, Instagram is facing the wrath of disgruntled users for axing Instagram Live for millions.

As confirmed to TechCrunch, Instagram Live now requires you to have a public profile with over 1,000 followers.

Previously, anyone with any number of followers could go live, potentially helping them up their follower count. This major overhaul brings Instagram closer to TikTok's identical 1,000-follower minimum. It's in contrast to YouTube, which only requires 50 subscribers for a channel to go live.

It's a particular blow to smaller content creators who might fall just below 1,000 followers, or for those who simply enjoy going live to their small circle of friends and family.

When trying to go live, those who don't have 1,000 followers or a public account will be greeted by a statement that explains: "We changed requirements to use this feature. Only public accounts with 1,000 followers or more will be able to create live videos."

Even though Meta didn't give the outlet a specific reason about why it was restricting Instagram Live, it did say it was attempting to "improve the overall Live consumption experience."

TechCrunch suspects it's to limit lower-quality streams by ensuring only those with an established audience can go live.

It could also be a way for Meta to save money, with the site noting that hosting livestreams is expensive and likely not worth the money if only being shown to a handful of viewers.

Still, Meta is facing backlash from its users on social media. Responding to the Instagram Live changes, one disgruntled person wrote: "They want people to use it for content creation and advertisement only. No more sharing your life with your family, it doesn’t make Meta any money!"

Another concerned user added: "The change is for the opposite. Now you can't livestream cops committing crimes, or ICE disappearing people. Anyone who doesn't think this is the purpose is living in a fantasy.

A third raged: "This will just encourage people to purchase followers from bot farms for a couple of hundred dollars. I don’t even use my Instagram, but I racked up a few dozen followers just from random bots that somehow stumbled upon me."

Making light of how numerous people have been caught doing illegal activities while live, someone else concluded: "This is unironically terrible news for police because dipshits do be live posting felonies."