Instagram is introducing a new feature that will limit the audience of the Stories you share. From now on, what you share in Stories can be displayed only to your close friends if you feel like sharing more personal stuff that’s not for everyone’s eyes.
Instagram will no longer notify you when someone screenshots your story
Earlier this year, Instagram started testing out screenshot alerts for Stories (yeah, just like the feature on Snapchat). The test phase lasted for a couple of months, and now Instagram has decided not to roll it out after all. So, if you have been getting screenshot alerts so far – you no longer will.
Instagram now lets you share other people’s posts in Stories
After the testing period, now it’s official: Instagram now lets you share other people’s posts. Although it was speculated that Instagram would let you share posts to your profile, it is not the case after all. If you like what someone else posts and want to spread the word, you can only repost it to your Story.
You can now poll your friends on Instagram Stories using an emoji slider
In the past few weeks, Instagram has been announcing a bunch of new features for its users. Today, they’ve unveiled yet another tool on Instagram Stories to provide Instagrammers an even more interactive experience. The emoji slider is a variation of the polling sticker for Stories that uses a sliding scale featuring an animated emoji.
Instagram testing slow motion video, Story reactions and a mute button
According to The Verge, it seems that Instagram are testing out a bunch of new features. Amongst them, there’s slow-motion video for Stories, Story reactions, and a mute button. It seems that we may also soon be able to tag Facebook friends on Instagram posts.
The new features being tested look to have been discovered by Twitter user, Jane Manchun Wong. Wong has posted a number of screenshots showing some of these new features in action.
Instagram launches “Data Download” along with multiple photos and videos in Stories
After announcing the possibility of allowing you to download your data, Instagram has now officially launched this feature. Now you can download anything you’ve ever posted in case you want to switch to another network or just backup your data. And at the same time, Instagram has also launched a feature that will let you upload even more content at once.
Instagram might soon warn you when someone screenshots your story
It’s not a secret that Instagram’s “Stories” function was inspired by Snapchat. At the moment, Instagram is testing another “Snapchatty” feature: the app is now notifying some users when someone takes a screenshot of their story.
Is Instagram repeating its own mistakes and moving towards its end?
Have you ever heard of an app called Burbn? It has nothing to do with real bourbon, but it used to be the name of one of the most popular apps today: Instagram. They started off as an app for location check-in and developed in a direction that brought them worldwide popularity and millions of users. But are they still moving in right direction? This video from DigitalRev gives a short overview and predictions about the future of Instagram. What do you think? Is Instagram still moving in right direction?
How Photographers Should Use Instagram Stories
Well it’s here, and whether you like it or not, Instagram’s new Stories feature is taking direct aim at Snapchat and the minutia of our daily lives. I, for one, am loving it. Stories allows us to share things with our followers that we might never post, humanizing our digital personas and connecting with the community in a totally new way. And even if you refused to join Snapchat, there’s no denying it that Instagram is where the people, and the brands, already are. So take advantage of the built-in community of Instagram with Stories, or you and your CD collection will be left in the digital dust.
Here are a few ways that I’ve been using Instagram, and some ways I think photographers can add value with the new feature, for themselves and for brands.
