Instagram for iOS has started testing a well-known feature in order to offer it to all users via a new sticker.
Like The Verge reported, Instagram wants to give all users the opportunity to share links in stories in the future. Currently, users on Instagram with 10,000 followers or a verified badge have the option of inserting links into their stories with a "swipe-up" design. What Instagram is now testing, however, is not a swipe-up but a linking sticker.
These stickers will work in the same way as a swipe-up link, just with a tap instead of a swipe. This also means people will be able to react to stories that contain a sticker, which isn't possible with stories that have a swipe-up link.
Instagram: Shared links in stories are strictly monitored
The test is currently limited, meaning only a few users can currently access it.
For now, the test is small, and Vishal Shah, Instagram's head of product, tells The Verge that it's mostly about figuring out how people are exploiting the links. They'll be paying attention to the type of links people are posting, with a particular eye on misinformation and spam. Plus, he says, stickers are a better fit with the way people currently use the platform, so he explains that this test "brings links into the same overall system, which also makes a lot of sense from a simplicity of the system perspective.
Even though the test is currently being kept small, Instagram hopes to be able to roll out the link stickers to everyone at some point. It is currently not known when the feature will finally be available worldwide. (Photo by nikkimeel / Bigstockphoto)
