New features include a way to see if an article is popular among your friends.
Artifact, the custom news app from the founders of Instagram, no longer has a waitlist. The app is available in the Apple App Store in most English-speaking markets, as well as on Android. As of today, you will no longer need a phone number to use Artifact unless you want to create an account and switch to another device.
In addition, the team of Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger has added more features, including a social element. There’s now an option to make your contacts available to see if an article has gained popularity among your friends. A badge will appear next to the article that is popular enough among your contacts, Engadget wrote on the topic.
It's not a launch without a little sizzle reel 🌶 Come join us in @ARTIFACT_News ! pic.twitter.com/QrdXctfNl1
— Kevin Systrom (@kevin) February 22, 2023
Eventually Artifact will have a way for users to share and comment on articles within the app. The beta already has a Discover channel with things people share. Naturally, users can like and comment on these shared articles.
The app also now has a stats feature that visualizes the categories you read most often, as well as the publishers you read the most. Artifact also groups articles into more narrowly defined topics.
Meanwhile, you can now indicate when you don’t like an article or publisher, and the app will show you fewer of those. It’s also possible to block publishers.
