Instagram Update Allows Users To Archive Instagram Stories, Create Highlights

Instagram has announced two new tools that allow users to revisit their most cherished Instagram Stories. One of these new Instagram features also allows users to pin their favorite Instagram Stories on their profile permanently.

Stories Archive

The first new feature on Instagram is allowing users to archive their favorite Instagram Stories. When an Instagram Story expires after 24 hours, it will be saved automatically in a private section of the app where users can view it anytime they wish.

The Stories Archive can be accessed on the user’s profile by pressing the Archive icon. Archived Instagram posts and Stories will be viewable here and only the user is able to see these posts. The user will also be able to re-share any old Story that’s saved in the Archive as a new one, according to MacRumors.

The Instagram Archive feature works automatically. Once an Instagram Story expires, it will be saved in the Archive. If a user doesn’t want this to happen automatically, they can simply turn it off under Instagram’s settings.

“Moving forward, your stories will automatically save to your archive when they expire. This makes it easy for you to revisit your favorite moments later on or bring them back to life in a highlight,” Instagram said on its blog.

Stories Highlights

The second new tool that Instagram has introduced is called Stories Highlights. This will appear in a new section in the user’s profile just below their bio. It looks like the Stories section in the regular Instagram feed, but it’s dedicated to only showing the user’s best and favorited Stories.

“To create a highlight, tap the “New” circle at the far left. From there, you can choose any stories from your archive, select a cover for your highlight and give it a name,” Instagram said. “Once you’re done, your highlight will appear as a circle on your profile that plays as a stand-alone story when someone taps it. Highlights stay on your profile until you remove them, and you can have as many highlights as you’d like.”

Each Stories Highlight can be edited and removed by the user. All they have to do is tap and hold on a Highlight on their profile to edit or remove it. Stories Highlights can be viewed by the user’s followers or anyone on Instagram.

The great thing about this feature is that it’s a permanent way of showing the user’s best Instagram Stories. It allows users to show off all of their different personalities and is yet another way to show other people their different interests.

“Over the past year, Instagram Stories has become a key part of how you express yourself — but there hasn’t been an easy way to keep your stories around for more than 24 hours,” the company said. “Now you can more fully express your identity by grouping stories you’ve shared into highlights and featuring them on your profile.”

Stories Highlights introduces the biggest change in how Instagram profiles look, as pointed out by The Verge. It’s also a sign that Instagram’s 500 million daily active users have embraced Instagram Stories, so much so that a part of it is now present on their profiles.

Both the Stories Archive and Stories Highlights are avaialble now in verison 25 of the iOS and Android Instagram apps.