Instagram Enables Likes on Stories With New 'Private Story Likes' Feature

Instagram is introducing a new way to engage with Stories. The photo and video sharing platform has added a new Private Story Likes feature that allows users to like Instagram Stories of others without sending a direct message (DM). Previously, users had only options to re-share the stories or reply to them with a comment. Also, responses shared on an Instagram Story were displayed in the DM inbox of the users. With the latest update, users can mark their likes for the Stories without cluttering their DM inbox.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri on Tuesday announced the rollout of Private Story Likes functionality via a video on Twitter. With the latest update, you can engage with a Story by tapping the heart icon, like a regular feed post. Tapping the like button placed between Send Message option and the paper airplane icon doesn't send a DM notification to the user. Unlike regular Instagram posts, Private Story Likes will not show a count. They will appear in the viewer sheet, not in your DM thread with them, said Mosseri.

The latest Private Story Likes feature was unveiled as part of Instagram's efforts to improve the messaging experience on the platform. In December last year, Mosseri announced that Instagram will focus on messaging and will double down work on controls to improve transparency while listing the company's general goals for 2022.

Earlier this month, Instagram had added a set of new features to make it easier for users to remove posts, comments, and other activities from the platform. This allows users to bulk delete or archive all of their content including posts, Stories, IGTV, and Reels along with their interactions like comments, likes, story sticker reactions, etc. Also, Instagram lets users filter their content and interactions by date and search for past comments, likes, and stories replies from a specific date range in the Your Activity section.