Why Did Instagram Remove Post Dates for Some Users?

It seems like every day, Instagram makes another seemingly random change to their app that confounds users — from adding notes to pushing video content over photos. These constant changes have pushed many frustrated users away from the platform. And now, some are reporting another missing feature.

Some claim that the app has removed post dates from from their feed. If you're one of the unlucky people who can no longer see dates on Instagram posts, you're probably wondering why.

Is it just a glitch, or is Instagram testing something? Here's what we know.

Why is Instagram removing dates from posts?

A little over a week ago, right after an Instagram update was pushed out to users, many complained that they could no longer see the dates on posts in their feeds. Some even took to other social platforms, like X, to air their frustrations. "What exactly was Instagram trying to achieve by removing dates from posts?" one user asked.

As of writing, it seems that the Meta platform hasn't addressed the reason for the change, which is only affecting some users. Theories suggest that it could have something to do with boosting the app's mysterious algorithm or that it could be a way to disguise the age of content on Discover page posts.

However, it's also possible that it could just be a glitch or bug that came with the latest update.

Regardless of the reason, this new change could cause major issues for users, including brands and companies that utilize Instagram to advertise limited-time deals or events. It can also lead to an awkward situation in which you like someone's post that just happened to pop up on your feed, but really it's three months old, and now it looks like you've been stalking their page.

Because Instagram hasn't addressed the issue, there's no word on whether or not users will be able to toggle this change on or off (similar to post like counts) or if there will be a fix.