Instagram’s new update: Who will be in your close friends, it’s your decision

Instagram, the world’s most popular social media platform, is now one of the largest photo and video sharing platforms. From everyday moments to special moments spent with loved ones, many people are now showcasing everything through Reels or Stories. Meta is going to introduce a new feature to make the experience more controllable for these users.

This new feature will allow users to remove themselves from someone else’s ‘Close Friends’ list on their own initiative. Meta told tech news outlet TechCrunch that the feature is still in the early stages of development. As a result, it has not yet been launched experimentally for general users.

What is ‘Close Friends’?

The ‘Close Friends’ feature on Instagram was first introduced in 2018. Through it, users can choose specific people and share stories, reels or special posts only with them. It is a very popular feature for publishing content in a private space.

However, until now, if someone was added to someone else’s Close Friends list, there was no opportunity to leave that list on their own. The new feature will remove this limitation.

How the feature came to be

Alessandro Paluzzi, a reverse engineer known for identifying unreleased features, first hinted at this change. He regularly reveals information about new features by analyzing the internal code of the Instagram app.

According to the screenshot he shared, if a user removes himself from someone’s Close Friends list, he will no longer be able to see Close Friends stories or content assigned to that person. To view this content in the future, the user will have to be added to the list again.

Hints of new subscription-based benefits

Meanwhile, in addition to the Close Friends feature, Meta has announced plans to test new subscription-based benefits on all three platforms – Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Although the details of what features will be included under the subscription have not yet been officially announced. However, according to Paluzzi, the premium version of Instagram may have the opportunity to create multiple audience lists, the ability to see who has not followed back, and even advanced controls such as not notifying the poster if a story is viewed.

Meta has said that the basic user experience of the platforms will be free for everyone. However, for those who want additional control and special features, a subscription-based model is being considered. Different packages will be tested to see which system works best for users.