If you use Instagram to share photos and videos and watch Reels, then there is big news for you. On Friday (June 5), Meta launched a new premium subscription plan called “Instagram Plus” worldwide. With this new plan, users will get exclusive features, advanced insights, and many customization tools that are not available in the standard version of Instagram. Simply put, Instagram Plus gives users more features and more control. However, the company has clarified that the existing Instagram platform will remain completely free and there will be no changes for common users. Instagram Plus is designed for people who want to make their social media experience more personal and professional. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri also posted a video announcing the launch of Instagram Plus.
Will Instagram remain free?
After the launch of Instagram Plus, the biggest question is whether Instagram will still be free to use. Clearing this confusion, the company said that the existing Instagram platform will remain completely free as before. Users will not be charged for standard posts, Stories, Reels, messaging or other features. Instagram Plus is an optional premium service only for those who want additional features and more control. In other words, those who don’t want to pay can continue using Instagram as before. The company says that this new plan has been designed to provide options that suit the needs of both free and premium users.
Main features of Instagram Plus
Story Spotlight – Your Stories will get more priority in your friends’ feeds.
Super Hearts – You can send animated and special reactions to friends.
Multiple Story audiences – You can create different Story audiences for different groups of people.
Story Extend – Your story will remain live for 48 hours instead of the usual 24 hours.
Story Preview – You can preview a story without interacting with it right away.
Story Rewatch Insights – You can see how many times someone has rewatched your Story.
Search Viewer List – You can search a specific person in the viewer list. Custom app icon – You can change the Instagram app icon as per your choice.
Custom Bio Fonts – You can display your profile bio in different font styles. 6 Pinned Posts – You can pin up to 6 posts to your profile instead of just 3.
Post directly to profile – You can post photos or videos directly to your profile or Highlights without showing in your followers’ home feed.
Advanced content insights – You’ll get more detailed information about content performance and audience engagement.
More personalization tools – You’ll get more options to further customize your profile and app.
Exclusive Premium Features – Exclusive tools and features will be available only to subscribers.
What will Instagram Plus offer?
Instagram Plus will offer users several features such as Story Spotlight, Super Hearts, Multiple Story Audiences, and Story Extend. These include features designed to strengthen connections with friends and loved ones. The Story Spotlight feature gives priority to your Story in your friends’ feeds, making it more likely to be seen. The Super Hearts feature allows users to send special animated reactions that provide a unique experience compared to normal likes. Additionally, the Multiple Story Audience feature lets you create different Story Groups for different groups of people. The Story Extend feature is also in the news, as it allows Stories to remain live for 48 hours instead of the usual 24 hours, allowing the content to be viewed for a longer period of time.
New insights for viewing and understanding stories
A big benefit of Instagram Plus is its Advanced Insights features. Users can now see a preview of a story without interacting immediately. Additionally, the ‘Rewatch Insights’ feature provides data on how many times a specific person has rewatched your Story. It also includes a ‘Search Viewer List’ feature that lets users search for a specific person’s name and quickly see if they’ve viewed a story.
**Profiles will be even more special**
Instagram Plus puts a lot of emphasis on customizing profiles. Users can now choose custom app icons to change the look of Instagram on their home screen. Additionally, this service also offers custom bio fonts. Another big change is that now up to six posts can be pinned on a profile, whereas earlier the limit was three posts; This keeps important content visible at the top of the profile for a longer period of time.
**Post without appearing in feed**
A special feature of Instagram Plus is the ability to post directly to the profile. This allows users to add photos or videos directly to their profile or Highlights without appearing in their followers’ main feed. This is beneficial for people who want to organize their profile without showing every post to all their followers. This feature is especially useful for creators and professional users who use their profiles as portfolios, as it gives them more flexibility and control over content sharing.
**Focus on creators and power users**
According to the company, Instagram Plus is primarily designed keeping in mind creators, influencers and power users. This is very beneficial for those who want to gain deeper insight into the performance of their content and give their account a unique identity. Meta began testing Plus in May and is now rolling it out globally. The company says that more features will be added in the coming months, so that this service continues to improve.