Instagram is testing a new feature with select users, enabling a way to share feed posts with ‘Close Friends’.
Some users, specifically in the UK and other markets, have started noticing a new option when sharing a feed post. First reported by TechCrunch, Instagram now offers the ability to share a post with a user’s ‘Close Friends’ group.
When available, users have the option to choose to share with ‘Everyone’ or with ‘Close Friends’ when tapping the paper airplane Share button on a feed post.
you can now make posts for just your close friends on instagram?? pic.twitter.com/jeniCCbbAJ
— mac ∞ (@haileyuptn) September 1, 2023
Instagram later confirmed that it is testing the feature in a number of global markets. However, it’s not yet known which ones are enrolled in the test. “We’re testing the ability for people in select countries to share feed posts with their Close Friends,” a Meta representative said in the report.
Users can manually select who can be categorized as a Close Friend. Currently, a user can choose to share an Instagram Story with only Close Friends rather than the ‘Everyone’ option. This works as a pseudo-private feed, where posts can be hidden from a mass audience and only shared with a select group. Users can be added and removed without being notified. Beyond this ability, however, the Close Friend option hasn’t been fully fleshed out.
Much like with other Instagram tests, there’s no guarantee this will hit a wide market. If it does, it’s hard to say when Instagram will launch it in Canada and globally. It is a nice feature that only grows the use of the Close Friends category on the social media platform.
