Instagram is rolling out a new feature that gives users more control over who sees their Instagram Stories.
Starting today, Instagram users can create a “Close Friends” list for their Stories. It’s built specifically for “when you have something to share but it’s not for everyone.” To use the feature, simply take a photo or video in the Instagram Story camera and press the green badge that reads “Close Friends” underneath. Your Story will instantly be shared with users on your Close Friends list.
The list itself is totally private, so no one else will know who sees your more personal Instagram Stories. To add followers to your Close Friends list, simply visit the main menu at your profile and enter the “Close Friends” tab.
Instagram will also let you know if someone adds you to their Close Friends list. If you’re viewing a Close Friends Story, a little green badge will appear on their Stories along with a green ring around their profile photo.
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While the Close Friends list was built for personal Stories in mind, the new feature has myriad potential beyond just sharing photos with friends. The service lets users pick and choose who sees their Stories, which means it’s a great way to keep creepers and strangers from looking at your more intimate photos.
Models, online personalities, and cam workers can theoretically monetize the new feature too by asking users to pay for access to their Close Friends Stories. Likewise, Close Friends lets users merge their main Instagram accounts with their “finsta,” or fake Instagram, a private account shared with personal friends.
“In response to the rise of ‘Finstagrams’—private accounts followed only by a person’s closest friends—the company sought to give users more tools for private sharing, with a suite of features that touched nearly every part of the app,” The Verge reports.
Expect Close Friends to roll out “globally” later today on both iOS and Android.
H/T The Verge