Instagram might be adding a way to share posts with friends exclusively.
The Meta-owned company is reportedly working on a "Close Friend" filter that lets users share posts to their close friends on the platform directly on their feed instead of by other means.
Instagram has confirmed it is working on such a feature but didn't reveal when it will become official.
Close Friends Only
Instagram users have been sharing their posts with their friends through the Stories they make and the direct messages they send through the platform's instant messaging feature. However, since Instagram's launch, users couldn't post anything that only their close friends on the platform could see.
Coming to Instagram 🔥 Close Friends feed post. It’s been spotted by someone posting in the UK
— Lia Haberman (@liahaberman) September 4, 2023
This would be one way to get people off Stories and out of DMs — create a Close Friends feed experience
h/t @jordLS pic.twitter.com/BBp0uDpJnF
Instagram plans to change that with a new feature it's developing. According to an X.com user and ICYMI newsletter's Lia Haberman, someone from the UK found that Instagram is developing a "Close Friends" filter that lets users post something only their close friends on the platform could see.
Haberman's source isn't the only one noticing the featuring in the wild. Another X.com user going by the username @haileyuptn also spotted the filter on her Instagram profile, prompting her to share her discovery on the former Twitter website.
Read More: Cat-Centric Adventure Game Stray is Getting an Animated Adaptation
Tech Crunch managed to get confirmation from Instagram that it is testing such a feature in a few countries, though it didn't specify which countries have it. Additionally, a Meta spokesperson said that the feature is one of the new ways Instagram is exploring to "express themselves and connect on Instagram."
Once the feature goes live for the public, it can help reduce the need for users to have an alternative Instagram account - commonly known as a "finsta" account - for friends to follow. Those who don't have such an account could also avoid sending direct messages to their close friends to share something with them on the platform.
Not everyone is happy with the idea of the "Friends Only" filter, though. Some Instagram users think that such a feature will only complicate the experience the platform brings even more; there will be too many timeline branches to keep up with.
The Many Ways Instagram Added A "Close Friends" Only Feature
Instagram has been working to add such a Close Friends-only feature for some time. You may recall that the company launched a feature that lets users share Stories with a private list of "Close Friends," allowing users to "post" something only their close friends on the platform could see.
Instagram also tried the idea of launching an app that lets users group chat with their close friends on the platform so they can make Close Friends -only posts there. This app, which was known as "Threads," didn't find much success with the public - Instagram eventually abandoned it in 2021 to develop a better direct message experience.
Instead, Instagram's Threads app became Meta's microblogging app to rival Elon Musk's X.com, formerly known as Twitter.
Instagram also released Notes on Dec. 2022 to provide users with a means to share text updates with friends to balance its Stories feature.
Related Article: Meta to Consider Paid Ad-Free Facebook, Instagram in Europe
