Instagram Stories adds Close Friends feature
Instagram users can now post Stories to a chosen close friends as part of an update to the social media app.
The platform has introduced Close Friends, a new customisable list of friends which users can choose to share Instagram Stories with, instead of posting to all their followers at once.
Instagram says it provides new flexibility to users wanting to share personal moments to a more select group of people.
The Facebook-owned photo and video sharing app has more than one billion active users, 400 million of which use Stories every day.
The new feature will be integrated into the existing Stories updates that appear at the top of the app’s home screen, but those on a user’s Close Friends list will be able to see additional content meant for just those in that group.
Those on a Close Friends list will see a new green ring appear around profile images when new content is available for them.
“Instagram Stories has become the place to express yourself and share everyday moments, but our community has grown — sometimes what you want to share isn’t for everyone,” Instagram said in a blog post.
“With your close friends list, you have the flexibility to share more personal moments with a smaller group that you choose.”
The app’s product director Robby Stein said users are also able to add and remove friends from the Close Friends list as they wish, with no notifications sent in either case.
This gives users “ultimate control over who can see your content”, he said.
“We think this is an opportunity for people to form even deeper relationships with their best friends, and we’ve found that people are now willing to share much more and have a lot closer bonds with the people they care most about because of this feature, which is really exciting.”
