Instagram users say they’re bombarded with broadcast channel notifications – here’s how to turn them off on your smartphone

Frustrated users have criticized Instagram’s new broadcast channels, with many claiming they are bombarded with countless notifications.

In the last 48 hours since Meta launched its new content creation tool in the UK, social media has been flooded with complaints.

Mark Zuckerberg, Steven Bartlett and Shakira are among the countless celebrities who use these channels to casually update their followers with exclusive news.

But the feature generated so many notifications that some Instagrammers initially thought they were being targeted by spam bots.

Luckily, there’s an easy way to free your smartphone from annoying notifications – here’s how to do it.

YouTubers on Instagram can use broadcast channels to keep their fans up to date with exclusive news

“I thought I was the only one bombarded with all these Instagram broadcast channels. Imagine, I thought they were spam bots at first,” wrote one Instagrammer on X.

Another added: “Stop inviting me to your broadcast channels on Instagram oh my god!”, while someone else repeated: “Stop inviting me to join your broadcast channels on Instagram.”

One user also wrote, “A new spam trend appears to be Instagram accounts (or bots) inviting you to join their broadcast channel and wish there was a way to reject them en masse or automatically.”

While Broadcast Channels launched in the UK on Tuesday, they were already being used by a select handful of US YouTubers in February.

Creators typically send invitations to their entire list of followers and give users direct access to their channel pages.

“We’re testing additional features like the ability for creators to use question prompts to collect feedback and responses from followers, and a dedicated channels tab in the inbox so people can easily access the channels they’ve joined and discover new ones,” it said said in a statement from Instagram.

“We’re exploring new controls to help creators manage and promote their broadcast channels, such as setting an expiration date and time for their channel, adding a moderator to help manage members, messages and content, and sharing a link or even a preview of Stories. Encourage followers to join.’

There have been complaints on social media in the last 48 hours after Meta launched its new content creation tool in the UK

However, if the notifications are too heavy, Instagram thankfully offers users the option to turn them off.

To do this on a smartphone, go to your Instagram profile page and tap the three straight lines in the top right corner.

Tap “Settings and privacy”. A small menu will appear at the bottom of the screen.

This will take you to a new page where you can tap the Notifications tab before tapping Messages & Calls.

Here you can see a complete list of Instagram features that send notifications. Broadcast channel invitations and messages should be fourth and fifth on the list.

Creators have the ability to send videos, text, and even voice notes to their fans through their broadcast channels, while also creating polls to get crowdsourced feedback

If the notifications become too cumbersome, Instagram thankfully gives users the option to turn them off

“On” and “Off” options are displayed here, allowing users to switch between settings at any time.

If you want to turn off notifications entirely, you can also tap “Pause All” in the notifications menu.

If you want some peace and quiet, you can also opt for “Sleep Mode,” which automatically mutes notifications at night or during concentrated times.

Instagram has been contacted for comment.

READ MORE: Twitter exodus begins as rival app Bluesky Social sees record sign-ups after Elon Musk threatens to charge users for using X

It’s been two months since Mark Zuckerberg launched his so-called “Twitter killer” app Threads – which more than 100 million users joined in less than five days before its popularity plummeted.

However, now it looks like another rival app, Bluesky, could be the one that X owner Elon Musk should watch out for after the platform saw a record-breaking wave of sign-ups after the billionaire threatened to ban users of his own social -Media site charges to be charged.

Figures collected by BlueskyStats suggest that more than 53,500 users visited the app in the last 24 hours – about 40,000 above average.

However, the site’s total number of users – estimated at around 1.1 million – is still weak compared to X, formerly known as Twitter.

Successful: Social media site Bluesky has seen a record-breaking wave of sign-ups after Elon Musk threatened to charge users of X (formerly known as Twitter).