Instagram Adds New Close Friends Feature For Sharing Stories Privately

Instagram has announced a new feature on its app that allows users to share their Stories to a smaller group of followers. The new feature is simply called Close Friends, and it is now rolling out to everyone worldwide on the iOS and Android Instagram apps.

“Starting today, you can make a close friends list on Stories and share with just the people you’ve added. Instagram Stories has become the place to express yourself and share everyday moments, but our community has grown and sometimes what you want to share isn’t for everyone,” Instagram said on its blog post. “With Close Friends, you have the flexibility to share more personal moments with a smaller group that you choose.”

The new Close Friends feature is most likely Instagram’s own solution to the “Finstagram” trend among teen users, as pointed out by 9To5Mac. “Finstagrams” are fake accounts created by teens where they are able to post more personal stuff on their Stories. These fake accounts are only followed by their closest friends. With the introduction of the new Close Friends feature, users won’t ever need to create fake accounts anymore.

The Close Friends feature can be accessed directly from the user’s Instagram profile by swiping right or by tapping the hamburger menu icon on the upper right corner. If the feature is already available, there should be a new “Close Friends List” right below “Saved.” Tapping on this will bring up a list of suggested followers that users can add as a close friend. There’s also a search bar at the top if the suggestions do not include someone they’re looking for. Users can access their list of Close Friends by tapping on “Your List” and they can also remove people from there.

The next time users try to share a Story, a new Close Friends icon will be available at the bottom and tapping that will only share the story to the people included in the Close Friends list. “If someone has added you to their list, you will see a green badge when you’re viewing their stories. You’ll also see a green ring around their profile photo in the Stories tray,” Instagram explained.

For now, the new Close Friends feature only works for Instagram Stories and not for regular posts, according to Engadget. If this is used widely by a ton of people and receives positive feedback, perhaps Instagram could make that an option in the future.