Move aside, influencers! Instagram ditches its swipe-up link feature that was limited to accounts with more than 10,000 followers in favour of a link sticker for all
- Until now, the only way to add a link to your Story was with a swipe-up link
- However, this was limited to verified accounts or those with 10,000 followers
- Now, Instagram has replaced this with a sticker, available to all users
Whether it’s a breaking news article or a delicious recipe, there are often times that it’s useful to add links to your Stories on Instagram.
While the social media app previously had the option to add swipe-up links on Stories, this feature was limited to accounts with more than 10,000 followers.
Now, Instagram is ditching the swipe-up link feature in favour of a link sticker, which is available to all accounts.
Max Eulenstein, co-head of product, explained: ‘Over the years, businesses, creators and change-makers have shown how sharing resources and information can inspire their communities.
‘From organizing and educating around equity, social justice and mental well-being to showcasing new product drops to customers, link sharing is helpful in many ways — so now we’re giving access to everyone.’
Instagram is ditching the swipe-up link feature in favour of a link sticker, which is available to all accounts
How to add a link to your Story
Until now, the only way to add a link to your Story was with a swipe-up link, which was limited to verified accounts or those with 10,000 followers.
However, many users thought this was unfair, prompting Instagram to tweak the tool.
‘We’ve heard from the rest of our community that they also want to share things that matter with their friends and family,’ Mr Eulenstein explained.
‘Whatever you’re into, from cooking to volunteering or shopping, you now have a space to share in Stories — regardless of your account size.’
To add a link to your story, simply capture or upload content to your story, before selecting the sticker tool from the top navigation bar.
Tap the ‘Link’ sticker to add your desired link, and tap ‘Done’.
Place the stick on your story and tap on the sticker to see various colour options.
Once you’re happy with it, post it to your story by tapping the ‘Send to’ button in the bottom right corner.
The new tool has been welcomed by Instagram users on Twitter.
One user wrote: ‘Instagram is FINALLY rolling out link stickers to everyone! Oh happy day!’
Another wrote: ‘Instagram just announced link stickers for everyone. It’s about time!’
And one joked: ‘Finally insta did something good actually.’
The link sticker feature will be rolling out to all users globally from today.
Instagram launches crackdown on fake accounts with new feature giving users more information
Instagram has launched a crackdown on fake accounts, introducing a new feature showing users information about who is really behind a username.
The Photo-sharing app’ more than 1 billion users will now be able to evaluate the authenticity of accounts, weeks after parent Facebook rolled out similar measures in a bid to weed out fake accounts on its social media platform.
The ‘About This Account’ feature will allow users to see the advertisements an account is running, the country where the account is located, username changes in the past year as well as other details.
To learn more about an account, go to their Profile, tap the … menu and then select ‘About This Account.’
There, you will see the date the account joined Instagram, the country where the account is located, accounts with shared followers, any username changes in the last year and any ads the account is currently running.
Instagram also plans to significantly boost the number of verified accounts for public figures, celebrities, and global brands.
Along with the account username, applicants will need to provide full real names and a copy of legal or business identification.
Instagram also said it will allow the use of third-party apps such as DUO Mobile and Google Authenticator for two-factor authentication to help users securely log in to their accounts.
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