Instagram is removing the ability to share feed posts to stories

Instagram is testing a new change that will make some users very happy and leave others angry. In select countries, Instagram has been sending out notifications that it’s disabling the ability to share posts from your feed to stories.

Instagram hasn’t specified which countries the change is being tested in but it’s not affecting users in India yet. But based on replies to Matt Navarra’s tweet, users in Argentina, Thailand and Chile have been experiencing this for the past two months. The Instagram notification reads, “We hear from our community that they want to see fewer feed posts in stories. During this test, you won’t be able to add a feed post to your story.”

Instagram’s decision to remove the ability to share feed posts makes sense as it would lead to users seeing the same post again. But at the same time it also takes away the ability for people and businesses wanting to grow their presence on the app. It may also affect users wanting to support other businesses or accounts by sharing their posts to stories. Instagram stories is a successful product in itself with over 500 million daily active users. Instagram’s algorithmic feed also shows posts only from accounts users frequently engage with so there’s a good chance you’re missing a ton of new posts.

This test will most likely receive mixed responses from Instagram users so it’s interesting to see if the company will expand it to more countries or not go ahead with it at all.