Instagram Launched Private Story Likes For A Low-Key Way To Interact On The App
You don’t even have to slide into DMs.
Cluttered DMs are now officially a thing of the past, thanks to Instagram’s new private Story Likes. The new feature offers users a low-key way to interact with Story posts through private likes, which means you won’t have to worry about any of the DM madness anymore. Here’s what you need to know about the latest Stories shakeup.
In a Reel posted to his IG account on Feb. 14, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri announced the launch of Story Likes along with an explanation why the company added these new heart buttons. In the Reel, Mosseri explains that Story Likes were created as a way to “clean up DMs” by keeping reactions out of DM threads, while also allowing users to express even more support for one another than ever before. The best part is, Story Likes are completely private, meaning only you can see who’s Liked your Story. Oh, and the new feature doesn’t count the number of Story Likes you get on a Story, either.
So how do Story Likes work? It’s pretty simple. According to the Reel, the Like button is automatically added to every Instagram Story between the “Send Message” bar and paper airplane (DM) icon. To use the feature, all you have do to is tap the heart-shaped icon and you’ll be added to a private list of users who Liked the Story, which only the person who posted the Story can see.
To see whose liked your own Story, go to the viewer sheet for that post by tapping on the view count in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen. On that page you’ll see a heart emoji next to the users who gave you a Story Like. The addition of Story Likes won’t mean any changes for Quick Reactions in Stories, so you can still tap on the emoji reactions that will show up in that person’s DMs.
According to a Meta spokesperson, Story Likes will be rolled out globally within the next few weeks — and users in the United States should have access even sooner.
ICYMI, the new Stories feature comes less than a month after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed a paid subscription model for Instagram Creators. But that’s not the only change users can expect to see in 2022: On Jan. 5, Mosseri announced that chronological feeds will be accessible again within the first half of the year.
From the new private Story Likes feature to the paid subscription model to chronological feeds, it’s never been easier to spread the love, er, the like, on Instagram.
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