Latest Instagram update sends users into a panic as they're warned it could leave them publicly 'caught out'

Social media updates can cause a whole world of unnecessary stress and Instagram's latest has people worrying they'll get 'caught out' being unfaithful.

There are a number of unwritten etiquette rules when it comes to Instagram.

If you slide into someone's DMs or like or reply to their Instagram story, for example, they'll probably think you're flirting with them.

So it's a given that those already in relationships who are looking for something extra tend to like to keep their in-app activity on the down-low.

With this in mind, the latest Instagram update is going to come as a rather rude awakening.

With the update, your previously private responses to stories can now be made public, showing underneath the story like the comment section on a regular post.

One shocked user shared a screenshot of the update on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: "Oh hn not instagram made it to where we can see the replies on other people stories now."

And commenters below the post were equally unimpressed.

One said: "How [do] I private this? Quickly. Immediately!"

Another joked: "This is not very demure."

And a third commented: "Never will be commenting again."

Some joked that the update will lead to people getting caught in the act.

One user wrote: "Lmaooo they about to get yall CAUGHT UP," while another said: "Everybody bout to be arrested at least once by the end of the year."

Meanwhile others didn't seem too fussed by it, with one person commenting: "Real shooters gone still let them shots fly, an audience never scared me." And honestly, you've got to admire the confidence.

But isn't the first time an update to the photo-sharing app has ruffled a few feathers.

Earlier this year, Instagram users were left furious after the app introduced a subtle change to their profiles, calling the change 'ugly' and even considering deleting the app.

The change in question? The font on your profile page is now ever so slightly larger.

While it might not seem like much (because it really isn't), users were quick to share their fury over the change online.

"Instagram changed its font and I hate it so much," one person remarked, while another complained: "The new Instagram font is so UGLY WHY DID THEY DO THAT LIKE THAT LOOKS WEIRD."

And for another, the update might just have been the final straw, as they wrote: "This new instagram font makes me want to delete the app." Yikes.