Instagram Changes Rules: These Users Can No Longer Go Live, Check Details

Instagram has introduced a new policy under which users having at least 1,000 followers and a public account will only be allowed to utilise its 'Live' feature. Up until now, the social media platform allowed any user to go Live, regardless of their follower count or whether their account was public or private, according to a report in TechCrunch.

The move by Instagram mirrors the 1,000-followers mandate that TikTok has also kept for its users. Those looking to start a Live but not eligible, will see a prompt stating that the feature is no longer available to them.

"Your account is no longer eligible for Live. We changed the requirements to use this feature. Only public accounts with 1,000 followers or more will be able to create live videos," the new prompt reads.

Though Instagram has not provided any specific reason for the change, it is believed that the move is designed to improve the overall Live consumption experience.

this is for anyone who normally livestreams on instagram for omar's shows, unfortunately if you are under 1000 followers you can no longer go live :( pic.twitter.com/8n55SqIJpH

— lilia doesnt want to die | ༄ (@tomlins9ns) August 2, 2025

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'Instagram doesn't want to...'

Social media users were not impressed by the update, with a section worried that the decision would likely affect smaller creators and everyday users who enjoyed live-streaming with friends.

"I don't even know why I bother with Instagram any more," said one user while another added: "This is likely more to do with resource preservation than anything else, as Instagram likely does not want to dedicate real-time streaming bandwidth and infrastructure resources for live video streams."

A third commented: "They want people to use it for content creation and advertisement only. No more sharing your life with your family, it doesn't make Meta any money!"

A fourth said: "This will just encourage people to purchase followers from bot farms for a couple hundred dollars."