Instagram Introduces New Features. Details Here

Instagram has introduced some new features for 'Stories,' providing users with multiple new ways to connect with friends and followers on the social media platform.

Among the new creative options to engage with each other is the 'Reveal' feature that allows users to post a hidden Story, which your followers can uncover only by sending you a DM.

How does it work?

To access the all-new feature while creating a story, click on the stickers icon and then tap on the icon that says 'Reveal'.

Once you click on it, the app will prompt you to type a hint for your friends regarding what they might find behind your blurred story. Here, users have also been provided with the 'Preview' icon in the bottom left corner to take a look at how your story will appear to your followers.

Once the Story is posted, your followers will only be able to see its content when they send you a DM. Instagram, however, has noted that "you won't need to approve every DM for your story to be revealed."

While this can be a unique way to start a conversation, the feature is expected to benefit creators, who now have a chance to engage more with their followers through Stories. At the same time, they should not be worried about getting thousands of DMs.

Add Yours Music

Instagram has also come up with the “Add Yours Music” sticker for Stories that allows users to share a song that fits their mood with followers. In addition, they can also add their music to it.

Here are quick steps to use it:

Step 1. Click on the stickers icon and tap on the icon which says 'Add Yours Music'.

Step 2. After you select it, click on '+ / Add Music' to select a song from the app's music library.

Step 3. Once the story is posted, your followers can add their own song with the help of 'Add Yours' button.

In addition to that, Instagram users also get access to the 'Frames' feature, which turns a photograph into a virtual Polaroid.

Your followers will be able to view the image by shaking their smartphone. If you don't wish to shake the handset, you are also provided with the 'Shake to reveal' button. The new feature has majorly been designed for sharing a throwback post.

As you select the image to feature, the 'Frames' sticker automatically adds the date and timestamp of when this image was taken. Besides, users also get the option to add a caption on the virtual Polaroid.

Next, the platform has also come up with a 'Cutouts' feature, wherein users get the option of turning part of any video or photograph in their camera roll into a custom sticker, which they can add to a Story or a Reel. 

This bears resemblance to Apple's image cutout tool that allows users to 'pick up' an object from a photograph or a video.