Instagram Q&A with Adam Mosseri: no official shadowban, hashtag limits and why the app keeps changing

When Adam Mosseri talks, social media managers listen.
In his latest Q&A, the Head of Instagram tackled the most-asked user questions – from hashtags and hidden likes to shadowbanning myths and why Instagram keeps changing so much.

Here’s a full rundown 👇

💬 What happens if I switch my public account to private?

“If you have a public account and you have a bunch of followers, and then you go and turn your account into a private account, no, the people who are already following you do not need to request a follow to follow you, they will still be grandfathered in.” – Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram

So no mass unfollow chaos. Your current followers stay with you, only new ones will need approval. Great news for creators who want more control without losing their audience.

❤️ Can I hide likes – and does it hurt my reach?

“No, you can hide likes on a post, that’s an option whenever you post to feed and you can do so without worrying about it affecting your reach, it should not affect your reach one way or the other.” – Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram

Hide those likes if you want a calmer feed, your reach remains the same – confirmed.

🌈 What’s with the colored profile rings?

“So we facilitated an award for a bunch of creatives across a bunch of verticals around the world called Rings this year and the winners have the ability to change the colour of their profile. So it’s just for the winners. I’m sorry about that, but it is pretty cool.” – Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram

So, those flashy profile colours? Exclusive. It’s part of Instagram’s Rings award for top creatives – a fun visual perk, not a new feature rollout.

🎞️ Why don’t carousel videos show up in the Reels tab?

“Videos in carousels do not go into the Reels tab on your profile though that is a bit of a strange thing, you need to figure out how to fully collapse the idea of videos and reels… we’ll take a look at that.” – Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram

It’s not just you – carousel videos really don’t appear under Reels. It’s a leftover from the “old Instagram” days, and the team knows it needs cleanup, so stay tuned.

🚫 Is shadow banning real?

“So there’s no official shadow banning program, but we are going to limit the reach of certain accounts under certain circumstances… if you’re posting content that’s violating our community standards or our recommendability standards… you can go check that out in Account Status.” – Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram

“Shadowbanning” isn’t official, but your reach can drop if you’ve broken Community Guidelines or Recommendability Rules. Check your Account Status under Settings to be sure you’re in good standing.

If you want a full breakdown of what shadow banning really is (and how to avoid it), check out our detailed guide 👉 What Is Shadow Banning and How to Prevent It.

🔍 Why can’t I search my saved posts?

“There is no way to search save. Unfortunately, you can find all your saved content by going to profile > settings > saved… but we should make it easy to search… good idea.” – Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram

Still no search bar in your Saved tab – but it’s now on Instagram’s radar (and AI search might fix that soon).

#️⃣ Do hashtags still work?

“There’s no perfect rule here. Generally, hashtags are not going to improve your reach… if you’re using eight, nine or ten, it sounds like you’re probably trying to hack ranking and it’s not going to work.” – Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram

Hashtags are no longer the growth hack they used to be. Use one or two meaningful ones for context, not 30 for luck.

🧠 Why is Instagram changing so much?

“Lots of people want us to make it like it was in the past. But that’s not really an option… people are primarily sharing photos and videos through DMs, not through feed or even stories, which is why we’ve leaned into DMs and recommendations.” – Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram

Instagram’s not “ruining” your feed – it’s adapting. As users move to DMs and Reels, the platform keeps evolving to stay relevant (even if that means nostalgia takes a hit).

Even in 2025, Adam Mosseri keeps the Q&A tradition alive – and these updates show that Instagram is listening. For social media managers, it’s a good reminder to stay flexible: the platform evolves constantly, but the key to growth stays the same – create quality, authentic content and manage it efficiently.

And for that part – you know who’s got your back 😉 👉 Plan, approve, and schedule your posts in Kontentino – AI-powered tool made for social media marketers.