What new 'Stories' feature is Instagram rolling out?

Instagram has announced a new feature that allows users to leave comments on Instagram Stories that people often use more than traditional posts.

This marks the social media platform's departure from the previous function where responding to a Story sent a private message visible only to the user who posted the content, The Verge reported.

The update enables users of the Meta-owned photo- and video-sharing platform to engage in a more public way while responding to Stories.

However, the ability to comment is limited to followers and those followed by the user who posted the content.

How does it work?

Instagram spokesperson Emily Norfolk revealed that, just like Stories, the comments will also be temporary and will last for up to 24 hours.

She added that users will also have the option to turn comments on or off for any Story they share. However, it is unclear whether comments will be archived after a Story expires.

The new feature follows a previous update that added disappearing “notes” to grid posts and Reels that expire after three days.

Users can choose who can see their notes. Temporary notes are overlaid on top of the post, making comments from friends more prominent.

Additionally, Instagram announced Wednesday that some likes on posts will now appear more prominently as floating hearts, similar to how they appear on the disappearing notes.