News
Instagram Sets Sights On Linktree With ‘Links In Bio’ Feature
The highly-requested update was announced by the face of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, via his broadcast channel.
Today, Instagram is rolling out a new site-wide feature for adding external links to user profiles. The system works the same way as Linktree and is seen as a direct challenge to the service, as well as the likes of Beacons and other “link in bio” providers.
Meta announced that users can now add up to five links to their Instagram profile bios, directing followers to any external content they like, including online businesses, promoted brands, causes they care about, or even profiles on competing social media platforms.
Services like Linktree came into existence mainly because many social media companies used to prevent users from adding external links to other sites over fears they would be helping to direct traffic to content outside their platforms.
In the current climate, Instagram likely sees expanded access to links as a competitive advantage, potentially luring creators back to its app from the likes of TikTok.
Using The Feature
To use the feature, users need to tap the “Edit profile” icon, followed by “Links”, then “Add external link.” After adding a URL, it’s possible to drag and drop links in the order that users want them to appear.
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As well as allowing links to external websites, Instagram also lets users link to their Facebook profile via a dedicated option. This official Meta link has a more professional appearance, complete with a Facebook icon and text description label.
Functionality
Instagram’s bio links don’t open in a separate browser window but stay inside the Instagram app. If users want to move to their built-in browsers, they must tap the three-dot menu at the top of the page and hit “open in system browser”.
The highly-requested new Instagram feature was announced by Mark Zuckerberg on his broadcast channel — itself a relatively new feature that we reported on recently, allowing creators to send messages to their entire fanbase.
News
AltoVolo Opens Orders For Limited Edition Sigma eVTOLs
Early buyers can now reserve build slots for AltoVolo’s 500-mile hybrid aircraft through a new online configurator.
AltoVolo has started taking pre-orders for its first electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the Sigma, moving the startup closer to commercial rollout. Customers can now secure a build slot with a £860 deposit and customize every detail online — from paintwork to seatbelt stitching. It’s the first configurator of its kind for a civilian eVTOL, mirroring how luxury car brands let clients tailor performance models before production.
The Sigma runs on a hybrid-electric tilting jet system built for long range and low noise. It can travel up to 500 miles at a 220-mph cruise, and is over 80% quieter than a helicopter. The three-seater weighs just 980kg and can maintain stable flight even if one jet fails. Safety systems include triple-redundant controls, thrust-vectoring stability and a ballistic parachute.
“We will be delivering an ultra-refined hybrid electric aircraft,” said founder and CEO Will Wood. “We believe there are thousands of customers for this type of cutting-edge technology”.
The first 100 units will come with exclusive materials and finishes. AltoVolo is also setting up a global service and maintenance network, with early planning for overhaul schedules already underway. The company’s focus on ownership experience echoes its ambition to anchor itself alongside established aviation brands rather than pure tech ventures.
To help new owners train, the company has built a full-scale simulator that replicates the Sigma cockpit in carbon fiber and leather. Pilots can log time toward a license using the system, aligned with the new US MOSAIC rules that ease certification for powered-lift aircraft. Certification work in Europe and the UK continues in parallel, signaling growing international alignment around light sport and eVTOL regulation.
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Noise inside the cabin has become another design focus. Engineers are refining internal vibration levels and developing a responsive soundscape that shifts with each jet’s power load — part feedback, part theatre.
Urban air mobility projects across the Gulf and elsewhere are pushing regulators and manufacturers to meet in the middle. Dubai, Riyadh and Doha have each outlined plans for air taxi corridors this decade. AltoVolo’s hybrid Sigma, sitting between electric promise and aviation realism, looks built for that middle ground.
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