Skip to main content

Facebook rolls out temporary News Feed posts that can be hidden from your timeline

Facebook is rolling out an intriguing new update aimed at active users of the web version of its social network.

The new “Hide from timeline” option allows users to publish a post only on their News Feed, consequently concealing it from their dedicated timeline where content is saved permanently.

Recommended Videos

Facebook has always offered its users customization options as to who can see a post — these include “public,” “friends,” and “only me,” among others — allowing you to effectively hide content from your timeline. The new feature, however, lets you simply publish your content directly to your News Feed without having to bother with additional tools.

The update does come with its share of restrictions. As mentioned at the outset, it is currently not available on the Facebook app for iOS and Android. It has also not been applied to posts from other people that you wish to share, meaning you still have to resort to using the customization options listed above.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Posts that you decide to exclusively publish on your News Feed will still appear in search, and will be visible to you in the “your posts” personal activity page, CNet reports.

Additionally, Facebook now lets you add topics to your posts on News Feed, indicating that perhaps it wants to emphasize the “news” aspect of the section. The 26 available categories include “World News,” “Science & Tech,” and “TV & Film,” alongside personal topics, such as “Relationships,” “Selfies,” and “Thoughts.”

The categories attached to visual posts, such as “Scenes,” “Celebrations,” and “Selfies,” in conjunction with the new “hide from timeline” option see Facebook once again aping the ephemeral social media functions offered by Snapchat. After all, a quick, silly selfie may be viewed by many as a throwaway post that doesn’t merit permanent saving, making it ideal for the fleeting nature of the News Feed. Nonetheless, as Snapchat has shown, even the most spontaneous post can boast its fair share of personality, which is exactly the type of content Facebook values the most.

Saqib Shah
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…
How to post on Instagram from your PC or Mac
how to view instagram stories on your computer laptop

 

In recent years, Instagram has become a popular way for friends and family to connect, one that allows us to quickly share photos, videos, and snippets of our daily lives. Android and iOS users have the luxury of downloading the Instagram app via the Google Play Store and App Store, but what about Windows and MacOS users? Thankfully, although Instagram does not officially support desktop-based uploading, there is a workaround.

Read more
Facebook News just expanded. Here’s how to customize your news tab
facebook news tab local launches

After launching tests to limited locations in the fall, Facebook’s dedicated news tab now houses local news for users in the U.S. Moving from testing to an official product this spring, Facebook introduced local news into the new tool. Facebook News houses journalism exclusively from a list of vetted sources while using algorithms to personalize the news that each user sees.

The Facebook News tab comes as social networks face increasing scrutiny for handling of fake news. Publishers on the new dedicated tab are selected based on “integrity signals” which Facebook developed with journalists to determine what publishers to include. The list is designed to eliminate publishers that share fake news and clickbait. The tab is partially determined by algorithms and part human curators, with journalists selecting the top stories listed in the first subsection of the new tab.

Read more
How to deactivate your Instagram account (or delete it)
A person holding a phone with the Instagram app open on it.

Oh, social media. Sometimes it’s just too much, folks.

If you’re finding yourself in a position where shutting down your Instagram account for a period of time sounds good, the people at Meta have made it pretty simple to deactivate it. It’s also quite easy to completely delete your Instagram, although we wouldn’t recommend this latter option if you plan on returning to the platform at a later date.

Read more