Instagram might soon let everyone share links in Stories and is testing the change already

Instagram logo on a Galaxy S10
Instagram logo on a Galaxy S10 (Image credit: Joe Maring / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Instagram is testing letting anyone share links in Stories.
  • Right now only verified users and those with more than 10,000 users can share links.

Instagram is testing a change that would allow anyone to share links via their Stories, according to a new report. The move would be a big change for a company that has historically made it difficult to put links anywhere, especially for average users.

According to a report by The Verge, a test phase is currently underway with the idea being that Instagram will be able to see how people make use of the ability to share links.

For now, the test is small, and Vishal Shah, Instagram's head of product, tells The Verge it's mostly to learn how people might take advantage of links. They'll be watching for the types of links people post while keeping a particular eye on misinformation and spam. Plus, stickers, he says, fit more into the current way people use the platform, so he says this test "brings links into the same kind of overall system, which from a simplicity of system perspective, also makes a lot of sense."

Right now, only people who are verified or have 10,000 followers on Instagram can post links in their Stories. Allowing everyone to share links would be quite the departure, with Instagram also saying that it intends to offer link stickers eventually, too.

He adds that link stickers are the eventual goal for Instagram, whether that be for everyone or just people who already have linking privileges. "That is the sort of future system we would like to get to," he says. "And that's what we hope to roll out, if we're able to make this work."

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Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.