New Instagram update adds reposts feed, friends tab and Snapchat-style private sharing
This will allow users to amplify posts from others without cluttering their main feed and gives followers a clearer view of original content versus reshared posts.
Instagram has rolled out new features, including a dedicated reposts feed, a 'friends' tab, and new private sharing options that mirror some of Snapchat’s most popular tools.
The changes come as Meta continues to refine Instagram’s core experience, pushing back against algorithm fatigue and increasing demand for more private, authentic sharing.
More To Read
- WhatsApp rolls out per-chat storage management, profile cover photos like Facebook
- Threads introduces ‘ghost posts’ that disappear after 24 hours
- Why industry-standard labels for AI in music could change how we listen
- African languages for AI: The project that’s gathering a huge new dataset
- AI chatbots fail at accurate news, major study reveals
- Government to use new AI system in placement of Grade 9 students to senior schools
Instagram users will now find a separate reposts feed on their profile.
Instead of mixing shared content into your main grid, reposted Reels or posts will appear in a dedicated tab, much like how tagged photos or saved content are organised.
This will allow users to amplify posts from others without cluttering their main feed and give followers a clearer view of original content versus reshared posts.
“We want to make it easier to see the content people are curating and amplifying, without losing their own creative identity,” said an Instagram spokesperson.
A dedicated friends tab
Instagram is also introducing a 'friends' tab, which will show updates only from users you have added to your close friends list.
This tab is designed to mimic the intimacy of stories shared with close friends but extended to Reels and regular posts, offering a private space within the broader app to interact with people you know.
This could be Instagram’s answer to the growing popularity of smaller, closed sharing networks and the desire to escape the algorithmic overwhelm of the main feed.
Private sharing
Instagram is also testing a new direct sharing feature that allows users to send photos and messages that disappear after being viewed, much like Snapchat’s iconic functionality.
These disappearing messages will be end-to-end encrypted and come with notifications for screenshots, meaning, if someone screenshots your chat, everyone in the chat is notified.
Users can expect these changes to roll out gradually, with initial testing in select regions before becoming globally available.
Users can now separate their content from reposts, stay connected to real friends and have secure chats.
Top Stories Today
