Instagram Hits 3 Billion Users, Drives U.S. Ad Revenue

Instagram has reached 3 billion monthly active users, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced, making it the third Meta app after Facebook and WhatsApp to pass the mark and the first public Instagram MAU update since 2 billion in 2022. Meta says growth has been driven largely by Reels, direct messages and AI-powered recommendations, and the company is updating the app to prioritize Reels and private messaging, including testing opening directly into Reels in India and redesigning the navigation bar. The short-form video pivot and improved recommendations have boosted engagement and ad-monetization prospects, with some estimates that Instagram will account for a majority of Meta’s U.S. ad revenue this year. Instagram plans to test controls letting users fine‑tune recommendation topics and has rolled out safety measures such as defaulting under-18 accounts to private. That shift toward recommendation-driven feeds has drawn frustration from users who prefer seeing posts only from accounts they follow. The milestone comes amid ongoing regulatory and legal scrutiny of Meta and broader market rotation away from the AI trade, underscoring Instagram’s central role in the company’s strategy.