Are you adjusting your strategy based on the latest social media updates and trends?
With new features rolling out across all major platforms every month, there’s a lot to keep track of. Here’s what you need to know and how you can adapt.
If you find it challenging to keep up with constant changes, get new updates directly to your inbox by subscribing to Shareable TL;DR. It’s SocialBee’s specialized newsletter, designed to bring the latest social media news straight to your inbox every other week.
May 2025 social media updates
May 2025 Meta (Ads) updates
- Meta announced new ad formats for advertisers (source):
- A new ad format for Threads, “Video Ads.”
- A new ad format for Instagram Reels, “Reels trending ads.”
- A new ad format for Facebook livestreams, “Facebook Live Partnership ads.”
- Meta added a new optimization option for lead generation campaigns, “Website and instant forms”. (source)
May 2025 Meta (AI) updates
- Meta added a new “Background conversations” feature on Meta AI’s iOS app. (source)
- Meta added a new feature on Meta AI’s iOS app, “Allow your prompts to be suggested on (Facebook and / or Instagram)”. (source)
- Meta is encouraging users to download the Meta AI app via a banner shown on Facebook Messenger. (source)
- Meta will soon add a “Reasoning” feature for Meta AI. (source)
- Meta will soon add a new “Discover AIs” tab to the Meta AI apps. (source)
- Meta is working on two new voice settings for Meta AI, “Focus on my voice” and “Welcome message”. (source)
- Meta is working on a “Private Processing” security feature for the AI tools used by its WhatsApp users. (source)
- Meta AI is now available on mobile Android and iOS:
May 2025 Facebook social media updates
- Facebook now shows page admins their weekly challenge progress as a story. (source)
- Facebook added in the main menu a new “Support” section. (source)
- Facebook is testing a “Downvote” button in the “Comments” section. (source)
- Facebook added a new feature for creators in Professional Dashboard, “Auto-invite followers”. (source)
- Facebook added a shortcut for Instagram Edits in the app’s main menu. (source)
May 2025 Facebook Messenger updates
- Facebook Messenger added a “Categories” feature for Facebook Marketplace messages. (source)
May 2025 Instagram social media updates
- Instagram added new video effects and a “Beat markers” feature for Instagram Edits users. (source)
- Instagram is testing a new “Song suggestions” feature for Instagram Stories. (source)
- Instagram added a new “Lockable Reel” feature for Instagram Reels. (source)
- Instagram added the ability to attach screenshots on customer support chats. (source)
- Instagram added a new “Monthly recap” feature under Professional Dashboard. (source)
- Instagram added 8 new effects for texts placed on Reels. (source)
- Instagram added 14 new animations for texts placed on Reels. (source)
- Instagram is now showing the “Made with Edits” badge under the username. (source)
May 2025 WhatsApp updates
- WhatsApp is working on a new AI-powered feature for chats, “Summarize with Meta AI.” (source)
- WhatsApp is working on a new setting for status updates, “Allow sharing (resharing and forwarding).” (source)
- WhatsApp is testing a new “Recent Searches” feature for channels. (source)
- WhatsApp is working on a new AI-powered feature for chats, “AI-powered wallpapers”. (source)
- WhatsApp is working on a new AI-powered feature for chats, “Summarize with Meta AI”. (source)
- WhatsApp is testing on iOS an “App Clip”-like feature. (source)
- WhatsApp is working on a feature that will allow you to react to messages and media (images and videos) using stickers. (source)
- WhatsApp will soon allow you to quickly record voice messages with a single tap. (source)
- WhatsApp will soon bring voice and video calling capabilities to the desktop (web) version of the platform. (source)
- WhatsApp is testing on Android a new “Layouts” feature for status updates. (source)
May 2025 Threads social media updates
- Threads is testing on iOS a new feature for post descriptions or text-only posts, “Spoiler tags.” (source)
- Threads added a new “Account Status” feature on Android and iOS. (source)
- Threads added a new “Content preferences” feature on Android and iOS. (source)
- Threads is working on a new feature, “Snippets”. (source)
- Threads updated every user’s Fediverse username to the platform’s new domain. (source)
- Threads now allows users to visit a user’s profile before you follow him / her. (source)
- Threads is now showing “deactivated accounts” in the “Followers” tab. (source)
- Threads now allows users to manage notifications for custom feeds. (source)
- Threads added five new features to its desktop experience (source):
- A new web domain: threads.net now redirects to threads.com.
- A new, single-column view.
- A “Custom feeds” button.
- A pop-up composer that follows you as you scroll your feeds.
- A new screenshot feature for posts, “Copy as image”.
May 2025 TikTok social media updates
- TikTok added an AI-powered feature for TikTok Stories, “AI Live”. (source)
- TikTok added a new “LIVE setup for client acquisition” feature for TikTok Live. (source)
- CapCut is testing on iOS two new features, “Collage” and “Capture”. (source)
- TikTok added on iOS a new “Creator Chat Room” feature for TikTok DMs. (source)
- TikTok now allows more users to upload videos up to 60 minutes in length on mobile. (source)
- TikTok added a new advertising goal for brands and content creators, “Other messaging apps”. (source)
May 2025 (Twitter) social media updates
- X will partner with ID provider Persona to confirm people’s real identity. (source)
- X is testing on iOS two new buttons for posts, “Upvote” and “Downvote”. (source)
- X now supports 4K video uploads on iOS. (source)
- X is working on a “Not interested” button for posts. (source)
- X will soon use Persona for ID verification. (source)
May 2025 xAI updates
- xAI added a new “Gork (described as <Lazy Male>)” voice on Grok AI’s iOS app. (source)
- xAI is testing a new transparent voice mode UI on Grok AI’s iOS app. (source)
- xAI added a new “Open app in Voice Mode” feature on Grok AI’s iOS app. (source)
- xAI added a file management feature on Grok AI’s iOS app. (source)
- xAI added on iOS a “Autoplay suggestions” feature for Grok AI—Voice Mode. (source)
May 2025 LinkedIn social media updates
- LinkedIn is testing on iOS a new UI for the “Video” tab. (source)
- LinkedIn added a new option for video embeds, “Video only”. (source)
- LinkedIn is rolling out an AI-powered job search process for users. (source)
- LinkedIn now allows users to add secondary names for ID Verification. (source)
May 2025 Google updates
- Google is testing “AI Overviews”-like results in three new countries: the Netherlands, Sweden and Türkiye. (source)
- Google is testing “AI Overviews”-like results for recipes. (source)
- Google now allows advertisers to add annotations to the Google Search Console performance reports. (source)
- Google is testing a new label for Google Shopping Ads, “Lowest in 30 Days”. (source)
- Google is now showing images within the sitelinks carousel in Google Ads and sponsored results. (source)
- Google now allows some advertisers to add up to 50 search themes per Performance Max campaign. (source)
- Google added a new and enhanced search functionality in Google Merchant Center, “Search for Products”. (source)
- Google added a new “AI Max for Search campaigns” optimization setting for Google Ads Performance Max campaigns. (source)
- Google is testing a “Track deals from this search” feature that will notify you when there is a deal for the product(s) you are searching for on Google Search. (source)
- Google is testing a new “Sponsored” label for organic commercial queries shown in Google Search. (source)
- Google is testing a “Shipping, Returns & Payment” section in retail knowledge panels. (source)
- Google Ads has rolled out a “Tree” table view for ads reports. (source)
- Google added AI-generated overviews in the “Behind the Music” section. (source)
- Google added to its Google AdSense Policy Center three new issue filters, “Policy”, “Regulatory” and “Advertiser preference”. (source)
May 2025 YouTube social media updates
- YouTube launched a new UI for the mini-player available on mobile. (source)
- YouTube added a new “Upvote” button for playlists. (source)
- YouTube is testing a discounted two-person YouTube Premium subscription tier with users in India, France, Hong Kong and Taiwan. (source)
- YouTube is testing with select YouTube Premium users in the US an “AI Overviews”-like feature for video discovery. (source)
- YouTube is testing “blurred thumbnails” for “mature content”. (source)
- YouTube is rolling out the ability to add and edit stylized captions for YouTube Shorts. (source)
- YouTube added on YouTube Studio (desktop) two new filters for playlists, “Description” and “Visibility”. (source)
May 2025 Pinterest social media updates
- Pinterest updated its visual search process to simplify discovery based on specific elements of a Pin image. (source)
- Pinterest added a new “AI-generated” label for content created with generative AI platforms. (source)
May 2025 Snapchat social media updates
- Snapchat announced three new ad formats for advertisers (source):
- A new ad format for Snap Maps, “Promoted Places”.
- A new, AI-powered advertising package called Snapchat Smart Campaign Solutions.
- Three new ad formats for Sponsored Snaps: “First Snap”, “Web & app auction ads” and “Sponsored Snaps from Creators”.
- Snapchat added a “Transcription” feature for voice messages. (source)
- Snapchat launched a new affiliate program for content creators. (source)
May 2025 Spotify updates
- Spotify added on mobile a new KPI for podcasts, “Plays”. (source)
- Spotify is working on a “Browse add-ons”. feature. (source)
- Spotify is working on a “Fandom collectibles”. feature. (source)
May 2025 Substack updates
- Substack now allows users to create live audio streams as well. (source)
Keep Up with the Latest Social Media News
Are you ready to adjust your strategy based on the new feature updates and trends?
Social media never stands still, and neither should your strategy. These updates offer new ways to connect with your audience and improve your content.
By understanding and incorporating these changes, you can stay ahead of the curve. Experiment with the new features and ad tools to adapt your approach, and keep your social media game strong.
If you find it challenging to keep up with constant changes, get new updates directly to your inbox by subscribing to Shareable TL;DR. It’s SocialBee’s specialized newsletter, designed to bring the latest social media news straight to your inbox every other week.
Manage your social media with SocialBee: publishing, AI assistance, Canva magic, analytics, unified inbox, and more.
Related articles

(March 26) 2026 Meta & Facebook updates and news
The article was last updated on March 26, 2026. Meta and Facebook are reshaping how people connect, create, and do

(March 26) 2026 X (Twitter) updates and news
The article was last updated on March 26, 2026. From AI-powered features to advertising policy tweaks, Elon Musk’s X is continually