Instagram is rolling out an update that brings its status update feature, Notes, to user profiles, giving them more prominence within the app. Previously visible only in Instagram’s inbox, Notes will now be displayed directly on users’ profiles, enhancing their visibility and providing a new avenue for interaction with friends’ updates. The addition of reply functionality to Notes in December has already enriched the feature’s functionality.
Furthermore, Instagram is experimenting with “prompts” for Notes, enabling users to pose questions for their friends to respond to in their updates, similar to collaborative “add yours” templates for Stories.
Like Stories, Notes are ephemeral, lasting only 24 hours, and are visible only to mutual followers, emphasizing their role in sharing updates within smaller, curated friend groups. Meta’s utilization of this feature, introduced in 2022, underscores its efforts to encourage more frequent posting for niche audiences.
In addition to the Notes update, Instagram is introducing a new “cutouts” feature, allowing users to create stickers from objects in their photos, akin to the iOS sticker feature. These stickers can be shared in Stories or Reels. Notably, users can also generate cutouts from other users’ public posts, providing a new way to remix content, though Instagram allows users to opt out of this feature if they prefer not to have their content reused.
