Instagram adds new communication options
Illustrative photo (Unsplash)
Instagram introduces the ability to comment on Stories, the short-lived posts that many users engage with even more than traditional posts these days, citing The Verge.
Details of new feature
Previously, when users responded to a story, Instagram would send a direct message, visible only to the person who posted the content. The introduction of comments adds a more public way to interact with stories.
However, the ability to comment is primarily restricted: only people who follow the post's author and are followed back by the author can leave a comment.
Like the stories themselves, comments are temporary and will last for up to 24 hours. Instagram spokesperson Emily Norfolk mentioned that users have the option to enable or disable comments for any story they share.
It remains unclear whether comments will be archived after the story post expires.
Other features introduced on Instagram
Instagram has consistently rolled out new features on platforms like Reels and Stories, which suggests that the company views these as key areas for user interaction with friends, rather than just random content meant for scrolling.
Earlier this summer, the platform added disappearing notes (essentially comments) to the post grid and Reels, aimed at drawing more attention to how your friends interact with the content.
These disappearing notes expire after three days, and users can choose who can see them—either mutual followers or a selected list of close friends.
Instagram also announced that some post likes will now appear more prominently in the form of floating hearts, similar to how they appear in disappearing notes.
Comments on stories in the Instagram app (photo: Instagram)
