OnlyFans' upcoming ban on sexually explicit material appears to be over before it even began. The company said it had "suspended" its planned October 1st change after having "secured assurances" needed to support its existing creator base.
The exact situation isn't clear (we've asked for comment), but it appears adults-only content is safe for now. A more detailed communique will reach producers soon.
The statement suggests OnlyFans has triumphed at least momentarily in its fight against big banks. These institutions have historically balked at tech companies that court sexually explicit content, pushing sites like Patreon to drop sex workers if they wanted to maintain their financing. It's not clear just how OnlyFans might have prevailed as we write this (did the banks change their minds, or is there new funding?), but the tension seems to have dissipated, at least for now.
Even a permanent victory might be bittersweet, however. The planned crackdown shook the trust of some sex workers and other OnlyFans creators — a key source of income is no longer quite so reliable as it once was. It won't be surprising if some content makers either switch services or add alternatives to protect their income.
In the last two years, true wireless earbuds have made quite the leap. There’s no doubt the popularity of Apple’s AirPods helped make these headphones a mainstay, but companies’ ability to offer reliable connectivity, great sound and active noise cancellation (ANC) in an increasingly smaller form factor has hastened widespread adoption. You can also get features that used to be reserved for premium models on mid-range devices. Of course, the popularity means that new earbuds are popping up all the time and the list of options is longer than ever. To help, we’ve compiled the best wireless earbuds you can buy right now, including noteworthy features for each selection.
Best overall: Sony WF-1000XM4
Billy Steele/Engadget
No one comes close to Sony’s true wireless earbuds with its overall mix of sound and features. That was true of the WF-1000XM3 in 2019 and the company distanced itself even further from the competition earlier this year with the WF-1000XM4. A smaller design offers a better fit, but Sony still packed in the features — from adaptive ANC and wireless charging to 360 and high-res audio support. The company’s app gives you the ability to let the M4s do a lot of the adjustments for you based on activity and location. What’s more, tools like speak-to-chat, although imperfect, are handy when you need to have a quick conversation.
I’m not a huge fan of the new foam ear tips, but based on other reviews, I’m in the minority there. Still, it’s easy enough to find alternatives, and those tips shouldn’t deter you from an otherwise excellent set of buds.
Master & Dynamic typically stands out from other audio brands due its attention to detail when it comes to design. When most companies are using spruced-up plastic, M&D chooses aluminum, ceramic and leather — even for its true wireless earbuds. The leather is reserved for its headphones, but Master & Dynamic still pairs premium elements with a stellar set of features on the MW08. 12-hour battery life, improved noise cancellation and excellent sound quality are the highlights, plus the company reduced the overall size of the earbuds for a better fit.
Sure, there are cheaper options, but for $80, it’s hard to beat the Anker Soundcore Spirit Dot 2. These true wireless earbuds are smaller than a lot of the competition which makes them more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. Anker also delivers ample bass, which means they can handle hip-hop, electronic and other genres better than many budget buds. They’re also IPX7 rated, so they’ll easily double as your new workout partner.
There’s no denying that AirPods are extremely popular among iPhone owners. And there’s a good reason. The earbuds integrate seamlessly with iOS. Plus, the more recent models offer hands-free access to Siri, on top of core features like quick pairing. In addition to active noise cancellation, the AirPods Pro have one very important thing the “regular” AirPods don’t: comfort. And when you factor in the spatial audio improvements in iOS 14, the Pro model is well worth the extra investment at this point.
In 2020, Google debuted redesigned true wireless Pixel Buds. They were a massive improvement over the original model, but they were also far from perfect. Instead of issuing a minor update in 2021, the company took nearly all of the best features and put them in the more affordable Pixel Buds A-Series. Hands-free access to Google Assistant, handy language translation and actionable notifications will help with tasks and productivity while improved sound quality makes the A-Series a better option for music than its predecessor.
Best overall sound quality: Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2
Engadget
Sennheiser made quite the leap from its first true wireless earbuds to version 2.0. The company figured out the touch controls, extended the battery life and added active noise cancellation. The Momentum True Wireless 2 is also the best sounding set of true wireless earbuds we’ve tested. As we noted during our review, Sennheiser consistently creates an audio profile that highlights minute details of songs, from the subtle attack of acoustic guitar strumming to the deep sub of synths and drum machines. The company’s trademark tone is warm, pleasant and inviting. The downside is these are pricey at around $300 and you can find better battery life (and wireless charging) elsewhere. In terms of pure audio quality though, this is the clear top pick.
Best overall noise cancellation: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
Engadget
It’s no surprise Bose built a set of true wireless earbuds with impressive active noise cancellation. The company has spent years perfecting its QuietComfort technology to block out the world around you. Most of the time, that’s easier said than done with true wireless, but Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds stand above the rest in the ANC department. The company allows you to select one of 11 levels of noise cancellation in its app and you can assign three of those to the on-board controls for quick access. It doesn’t match the isolation of its over-ear headphones, but Bose is clearly ahead of the true wireless competition when it comes to blocking unwanted noise.
Samsung’s recent Galaxy Buds have all been well-designed — perhaps with the exception of the Galaxy Buds Live — and offer a comfy fit due to their small size. The company merged its noise-cancelling Galaxy Buds Pro with the more affordable Galaxy Buds+ to create the Galaxy Buds 2. At $150, this true wireless model remains tiny and comfortable with improved audio quality, adjustable ambient sound and wireless charging. That combination of features makes the Galaxy Buds 2 a solid option for the Android faithful that won’t break the bank.
Beats is no stranger to true wireless earbuds, but until recently, the only option was its over-the-ear hook design that isn’t for everyone. With the Studio Buds, the company offers a more “traditional” true wireless fit and surprisingly balanced sound. Plus, the small size keeps things comfortable, even during extended listening sessions. iOS users get hands-free access to Siri and the company offers Android users a similar quick-pairing experience iPhone owners have enjoyed on previous Beats headphones.
Jabra’s true wireless earbuds are always a solid option, offering a lot of features for less than the typical premium flagship prices. The company made an impression with its Elite 65t earbuds in 2018 and followed up in late 2019 with the new-and-improved Elite 75t. Jabra redesigned nearly everything, offering smaller buds with a better fit, in addition to improved sound quality, longer battery life and optional wireless charging. The company also added ANC via a firmware update in 2020, so these don’t seem outdated by any means.
Lucid is giving prospective owners of its $169,000 luxury electric sedan the choice between two variants. The Air Dream Edition will be available in a "Performance" or "Range" version that ultimately leaves you to decide between speed and real-world driving range. The former promises 1,111 horsepower, which rivals the Tesla Model S Plaid, and can hit 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds.
The Dream Edition Range, meanwhile, will deliver 933 horsepower and take 0.2 seconds longer to go from 0-60 mph. Both have a top speed of 168 mph, cost $169,000 (before factoring in federal tax credits or other incentives) and are expected to ship later this year. You'll be able to identify each variant with the "P" or "R" letter on their respective badges. The company previously revealed that it only planned to build about 500 units of the Dream Edition.
Notably, Lucid is still in the process of confirming the cars' official range with the US Environmental Protection Agency. In real-world tests, the company says a pair of Dream Edition Range models travelled 445 miles on a single charge. The journey saw the cars venture from LA to San Francisco at highway speeds via central California, and then back across the San Francisco Bay to Lucid’s global headquarters. Upon arrival, Lucid claims the the cars displayed 30 miles and 72 miles of charge remaining (for totals of 475 and 517 miles).
The EV maker is currently reaching out to those who put down $7,500 to reserve the Air Dream Edition to confirm their chosen configuration. Lucid said in June that it had received over 10,000 reservations across all Air models, which — along with the top-of-the-range Dream Edition — includes the base edition, the Air Touring and Air Grand Touring.
The trickle-down of features from Fitbit’s higher-end wearables to its everyday fitness trackers continues with the Charge 5. This new edition of the device is packing both ECG and EDA sensors, both of which were first found in the higher-end Sense, to better help you monitor your heart health and stress. Charge 5 also gets a few quality-of-life improvements compared to its predecessor, including a new body that’s 10 percent thinner and a new color AMOLED display with an always-on option.
But the real point of this new tech is to integrate the Fitbit into your daily health routines as something more than just a tracker. The ECG sensor will, naturally, help you check your heart’s electrical activity and check for signs of atrial fibrillation. The EDA, or Electrodermal Activity sensor (itself a fancier term for Galvanic Skin Response) is designed to measure the perspiration of your hands, which can be a marker for stress. As with the Sense, users can then be coached through a stress-reduction session if their stats get too aggressive.
Fitbit is also looking to bolster its $10-per-month Premium offering to encourage more of its hardware users to sign up to a monthly subscription. That includes a new Daily Readiness Score, which sounds a lot like Garmin’s Body Battery calculation, which will examine how ready you are to work out. It’ll do that by looking at your heart rate variability, recent sleep schedule and activity to judge if you should hit the treadmill or the couch that day.
Premium will also get a new collection of workouts from Les Mills to help coach you through the workout du jour. In addition, Fitbit is partnering with Calm, and Premium users will get access to “30 pieces of Calm content in seven languages,” with users able to run an EDA scan at the same time as listening to a Calm-created mindfulness session. Or they will be, since the material is expected to arrive at some point in September.
The Fitbit Charge 5 is available to pre-order today, and will cost $179.95 complete with six months of Fitbit Premium thrown in.
As more businessesdelay the return to the office, Zoom looks set to keep thriving in a hybrid work setup. To build on that momentum, the communications platform is introducing a raft of new updates that span meetings, chat and even phone calls.
The neatest new feature rolling out today are gesture-activated reactions for iPad. Now, when you raise your hand or give a thumbs up during a meeting it will automatically show the corresponding icon in your video panel. The broader "non-verbal feedback" function needs to be activated first.
For now, "Raise Hand" and "Thumbs Up" are the only gesture-supported reactions, though that could change in the future. The others are "slow down," "yes" and "no," while the standard emoji also include clapping hands, heart, tears of joy, open mouth and party popper (celebration). The gist of non-verbal feedback is to allow participants to communicate with the host while maintaining the flow of a meeting. Using physical gestures may help novice Zoomers to express themselves without the fear of mishaps.
Zoom
As mentioned, this latest update is a biggie, but how much of it you notice depends on the parts of Zoom you actually use. For Meetings, there's a new Focus Mode that only shows participants the host and the content they are sharing. As its name implies, the feature is designed to cut out distractions. You can now also seamlessly transition a meeting from mobile to desktop and vice versa. Plus, admins can limit screen sharing when a guest joins a meeting.
In addition, Zoom is making the chat sidebar easier to navigate with public and private channel markers. Now, the display will generally show fewer chats and channels per group, but you'll be able to expand it to see more activity. Zoom is also once again moving the search function to the left side. Lastly, you can try out the new admin experience — which puts a bunch of management controls in one place — before it becomes the default in October.
As for calls, Zoom Phone users are getting more usage metrics, group call monitoring privileges and a privacy feature that prevents others from accessing shared line calls.
Otter has a solution for that pile-up of virtual meetings in your calendar. The AI transcription tool essentially attends the gathering or conference in your place and jots down what was said. After launching with Zoom support in May, Otter is now expanding to include Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Cisco Webex. According to the company, the update means it will now reach a potential audience of 500 million users.
The setup is the same: Otter Assistant connects to your calendar, allowing you to choose which meetings you want it to join. You can access all of your notes on the web or through Otter.ai's mobile apps. Like Zoom's transcription tool, Otter's assistant is a premium feature, too. It's included in the company's business subscription plans, which start from $20 per month.
Of course, it's more than just a convenient way to skip meetings. You can also use it to take the hassle out of transcribing the video calls you do attend or to take your place when you're running late. The expansion, meanwhile, brings it to most of the major video conferencing platforms — barring Facebook's Workplace and Slack. Maybe one day it will end up transcribing VR meetings, too.
When Google and Samsung announced they had teamed up on the latest version of Wear OS, many hoped it would finally bring a smartwatch for Android users that would rival the Apple Watch. With the relatively robust third-party app library from Google and Samsung’s intuitive interface, the platform was promising. The Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic are the first devices running the new “Wear OS powered by Samsung.”
But software isn't their only intriguing new feature. Samsung also upgraded the biometric sensors to offer, among other things, a body composition scanner and improved sleep tracking. Throw in new 5nm processors and sharper screens and the Watch 4 series looks like a meaty update. Has the Apple Watch finally met its match? Probably not, but one can hope.
Before we get too far ahead, it’s worth noting that other than the Classic having a physical spinning bezel and a stainless steel case, there aren’t major differences between the two Watch 4 models. They have the same upgraded sensors, battery and screen sizes, so most of what I’m going to cover in this review applies to both models, unless I specify otherwise.
David Imel for Engadget
Wear OS and One UI
Let’s start with the most intriguing change in both watches: Wear OS. Honestly, if I didn't know the Watch 4 was using a whole new OS, I might have just assumed this was a minor Tizen update. You’ll still swipe sideways or spin the physical bezel on the Classic to scroll through all your widgets and use the touch-sensitive ring around the regular Watch 4’s screen. But instead of All Apps being one of the pages on the right, they’re now below the home screen. There’s also a customizable quick settings panel above the main page, too.
Of course, the dead giveaway that there’s something more going on here is that you can now download apps from the Play Store directly from your wrist. A section in the Play Store shows all the apps on your phone that have Wear counterparts and I easily added Telegram and Spotify from this page. This seamless installation of apps that are already on your phone onto your watch is one of the features that Samsung said its One UI software would enable. I was expecting them to automatically show up on the watch without me doing any work, but I guess this way you get to decide what you want on your wrist.
One UI also allows for settings on your watch and phone to sync, so that when you enable Do Not Disturb on one, the other activates it too. When you play a song on your phone, a media controller is supposed to appear on the wearable. These only work with Samsung’s phones, though, so if you’re using some other Android device this doesn’t apply. Oh and while we’re at it, the Watch 4 series doesn’t work with iOS, unlike its predecessors. But if you’re an iPhone owner you probably weren’t considering an Android watch to begin with.
David Imel for Engadget
One last thing that Samsung added via One UI: gesture controls. In theory, this will let you answer or dismiss calls by flicking your wrist or lifting your arm. I enabled the setting and was able to answer a call by raising my wrist as instructed, but dismissing them by rotating my fist did not work. This could potentially make it easier to use the watch with one-hand or when I have my arms full, but they don’t work very well at the moment and are limited to responding to calls or messages.
New sensor and new features
In addition to brand new (yet familiar) software, the Watch 4 line also got a serious hardware upgrade. Samsung used a new 3-in-1 biometric sensor that not only should allow for faster and more consistent readings, it also enables bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to offer body mass scans.
The Watch will first ask for basic information like your gender, age and weight. Then, it tells you to place your middle and ring fingers on the two buttons on the edge. It’ll also instruct you to stay still and lift your arms away from your body while it scans, which takes about 15 seconds. Once it’s done, the system spits out a comprehensive breakdown of your body, saying how many pounds of water, fat and skeletal mass it detected.
David Imel for Engadget
I’ve been excited about this new feature, since body composition is generally a better way to understand your overall health than BMI. I’d been using Amazon’s camera-based system in its Halo app to determine my body fat percentage and though that’s been a handy and seemingly accurate method, BIA is a more conventional and common means.
The problem I realized after a few days is that a watch might not be the best place to have BIA sensors. Since the scan requires you to be fairly still and not touch other parts of your body, it can be quite awkward to do. That would be fine if the only issue were standing in an uncomfortable stance for 15 seconds every now and then, but small changes in your posture can affect your result.
I took two scans just seconds apart, one with my arms lifted further away from my body than the other. The first time, I got a 26 percent fat scan result, and the next I got 30 percent. I wasn’t expecting complete accuracy, and I know consistency can be affected by time of day and how you’re standing, but so far the results are unreliable.
I’ll need a few more weeks or months to test the BIA system, measuring at the same time of day, to see if it produces helpful overall trend data. After all, changes in your body composition can take time to register.
David Imel for Engadget
Something else that requires more time for me to get a sense of its usefulness is continuous blood oxygen detection. That’s one of the new sleep-tracking features the upgraded sensors enables, and that data feeds into Samsung’s Sleep Score algorithm, which considers other things like duration and restfulness. In older Galaxy Watches, you can get your blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) readings at-will, but the Watch 4 is able to do a constant measurement overnight. When I woke up, the Watch 4 told me my SpO2 was between 93 and 97 percent, which is slightly lower than I’d like, but could explain why I’ve been so fatigued.
Blood oxygen is one of five factors that go into Samsung’s sleep score, which the company said considers a variety of metrics. Another new thing the Watch 4 can detect this year is snoring. If you want to enable snore detection, you’ll not only have to wear the watch to bed, but also place your phone “on a stable surface near your head” within two feet of your person, and have the bottom of the phone pointing at you. You can choose to have snoring detection on always or only for one night, and you can also opt to record audio to hear your sleep noises the next day. Samsung also gives you the option to delete the recordings after a day, 31 days or 100 days. I don't snore but the potential medical benefits here could be useful for those who do.
The one thing I’d like Samsung to fix is very minor: I couldn’t find the setting to enable snore detection in the Health app until after I had recorded a night of sleep. This was pretty easy to do — I just manually added an entry.
The rest of the updates that the new sensor brings about are less noticeable, like faster heart rate monitoring and updated calorie count algorithms that take into account continuous and discrete pulse readings. These are mostly under the hood, which makes knowing whether there’s a meaningful difference hard to tell until I’ve spent a lot more time with the devices.
Design and display
Another area where the Watch 4 series got a small upgrade that’s not very obvious is its screen. The larger versions of the devices now have sharper 1.4-inch screens running at 450 x 450, while the smaller models have 1.2-inch panels. They otherwise aren’t much different in size from their predecessors.
I’m used to the Apple Watch SE, and though the Galaxy Watch 4 is actually about 5 grams lighter and its case is only a hair wider, it still felt a little large on my wrist. Its case alone is an acceptable size and weight, but the 20mm strap that Samsung includes is a little stiff out of the box and feels uncomfortable. Over time, though, this should get more pliable and less cuff-like, and you can also swap it out for something softer.
Because it has a physical rotating bezel and a stainless steel case, the Watch 4 Classic is heavier and chunkier than the Watch 4, which has a touch-sensitive ring. While I liked using the mechanical wheel to interact with Tizen Wear OS, it made the device bulky enough that I didn’t want to wear it when working out or going to sleep.
David Imel for Engadget
Performance, in use and battery life
Though they look similar to their predecessors, the Watch 4 series boast a significant update inside. They’re powered by new 5nm processors with significantly more storage than before. That additional space should allow you to load more songs on the device, while the processor should make the system fly. And for the most part, the Watch 4s ran smoothly and quickly. The only times I had to sit around waiting for something to happen were when I loaded the Play Store or accidentally triggered Bixby. Speaking of Samsung’s assistant — it’s set to launch when you long-press the top button by default, but you can set it to bring up the power menu instead.
Something I’ve always loved about Galaxy watches is how accurately and quickly they register when I’ve been walking briskly. This year, Samsung updated the software to auto detect a workout after 10 minutes instead of 15. It was gratifying to have a session automatically recorded after I had spent exactly 10 minutes run-walking from a Long Island Railroad platform in Penn station to the Path an avenue away.
The watches are also capable of tracking 95 different workout types, which is nice if you like to get specific with what you’re doing at the gym. I found the running coach mode a little too aggressive with its suggestions, and there are little differences between Samsung and Apple’s systems that would take too much time to spell out, like which brand undercounts distance traveled on a treadmill and which one is too eager to tell me it thinks I’ve stopped walking, for example. But overall the Galaxy Watch 4 are capable activity trackers.
David Imel for Engadget
Unfortunately, it seems like all the upgrades Samsung added hurt the battery life. Most smartwatches last between one to two days, but for some reason the Galaxy Watch 4 series barely lasts a day. I removed my Watch 4 from the charger at 3pm one afternoon, enabled Always On Display two hours later, and the device died the next day at 5pm.
Wrap up
Short battery life is my biggest issue with the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic, which are otherwise capable, useful smartwatches. Though some of the newer features like body composition measurement and snore detection might not seem immediately useful, they could provide helpful insight over time. The new Wear OS powered by Samsung isn’t a huge departure from Tizen, which means we’re still getting a powerful, intuitive interface with comprehensive health-tracking features.
Throw in a bigger ecosystem of third-party apps and the Watch 4 series has the potential to offer even more functions. I wish Samsung could make them smaller, thinner and lighter and also extend their runtimes. But — and I know the bar is pretty low here — the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic are still the best smartwatches for Android users.
Key specs
Sizes: 40mm / 44mm; 42mm / 46mm (Classic)
Display: 1.2-inch 396 x 396 (smaller models); 1.4-inch 450 x 450 (larger models)
Were you ready to be underwhelmed? Microsoft really didn’t have all that much to reveal, it seemed, despite the 90-minute run time. (Thankfully, we’ve shaved it down to an 11-minute highlight reel you can watch here.)
The problem with Xbox’s show was that it was so heavy on developer interviews. There really weren’t many headline announcements, either, besides further expansion of Xbox Cloud Gaming — more on that below. Wringing the gaming news towel dry, Psychonauts 2 got a new launch trailer, and we got a better look at the Xbox-bound version of Microsoft Flight Simulator and some shiny vehicles for Forza Horizon 5.
I guess we go back to playing Hades on our Xboxes for now.
Last year, Peloton introduced its new lower-cost Peloton Tread to the market, which was around $1,800 cheaper than the original Tread+ ($4,295). However, the company had to recall both its treadmills after reports of several injuries and one fatality. The Tread had to be recalled because its touchscreen console could detach and fall.
There are, of course, improved safety features, including Tread Lock, a mandatory four-digit digital passcode to stop children from activating the treadmill. Tread Lock will be available for both All-Access members as well as those without. There’s also a physical safety key that a runner can pull to quickly stop during a class.
Starting this holiday season, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will have access to cloud gaming on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles. It could be a huge deal as you'll be able to fire up more than 100 games without having to download them at all. At some point in the future, Xbox One owners will be able to play some Series X/S games through the cloud, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator. Naturally, you won’t get the full next-gen experience on last-gen consoles, but Microsoft is targeting 1080p gameplay at 60 frames per second.
Arcade1Up’s latest arcade cabinets are aimed at a younger crowd. Much younger. The first two machines in the Arcade1Up Jr. line center around the Pac-Man and PAW Patrol franchises. The former includes a trio of arcade classics: Pac-Man, GalagaandDig Dug. The PAW Patrol system also features three games: Chase is in a Race, PAW Patrol Off Duty and PAW Patrol Pups on the Go! Prices will start at $280.
Bungie’s new expansion will have players facing off against the long-teased witch queen. There will be new crafting mechanics — which you’ll need to make new custom weapons and mods. The expansion was first expected to land earlier this year, but as the headline says, the new release date is currently early 2022.
The SNES wasn’t Nathan Ingraham’s first console. Like many kids of the ‘80s, he started with the NES. But that system never quite felt like his. But the Super NES, that console was his. After saving his allowance, finally, at some point in 1992, he had the console, two controllers and Super Mario World. And he never looked back.
Today’s Back to School guide features the best discounts for students. Like Amazon Prime, for $60 a year if you’re in college, with everything the regular package offers. Apple, meanwhile, will throw in free AirPods when you buy selected Macs or iPads to embark upon your educational dreams. On the laptop front, we’ve also scrubbed through the best gaming laptops for the most affordable machines we could find.
In the hopes that Spaces don't go the way of Fleets, Twitter has largelyfocused on discovery efforts around the audio chat rooms. It's latest stab at making the feature easier to find is all about eliciting FOMO. Twitter is experimenting with a new "listening activity" mode that shows you the Spaces the people you follow are tuning in to. For now, the feature is limited to some users on iOS and Android.
Of course, not everyone wants their interests to be highlighted atop other's timelines, so Twitter is allowing you to toggle the option on or off via settings. Bear in mind that Spaces are public anyway, which means your activity is visible to others including those you follow and those browsing the rooms. Though, Twitter does note that it's possible for you to listen to a Space without being listed as a guest.
we’re experimenting with ways to help you discover more Spaces. for some of you on iOS and android, if someone you follow is listening to a Space, you’ll see it at the top of your tl. you can control who can see your listening activity in your settings. send us your thoughts! pic.twitter.com/8fbEZUMvM7
Instagram is introducing ads to the Shop tab it introduced last November as part of a divisive app redesign. The Facebook-owned company's push to bring ads to more parts of its app has upset some users, but at least the move makes sense in this context.
Moreso than on Reels or the Explore feed, ads seem like a natural fit for Instagram's shopping section, where you go to peruse products from brands and creators. They'll look like the other tiles on the Shop home page, but with a little "sponsored" label that tells you someone paid to show you them.
As a rep for luggage brand Away explains in their spiel, ads tend to be more successful "in an environment where the consumer is already in a shopping mindset which the Shop tab naturally attracts."
Clicking on a Shop ad will show you more details about the product, including any additional images, and let you browse more items from the brand. You can also save products to your wishlist or share them with friends. As is the norm, you can hide or report ads, too. Unlike Instagram's video ads in Stories and Reels, you can't skip photo ads.
