Instagram has unveiled a new method to interact with Stories. The photo and video sharing platform has added a new feature called Private Story Likes, which enables users to like other people’s Instagram Stories without having to send them a direct message (DM).

Formerly, users had only options to re-share the stories or reply to them with a comment. Users’ DM inboxes were also populated with comments provided on an Instagram Story. With the recent upgrade, users may signal their likes for the Stories without clogging their DM mailbox.

You can now interact with a Story by clicking the heart icon, just like you would with a standard feed article, thanks to the latest update. The like button, which is located between the Send Message option and the paper aircraft icon, does not send the user a DM notice. Private Story Likes, unlike ordinary Instagram posts, will not display a count. They’ll show up on the viewer sheet, not in your DM thread with them, according to Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri.

More set of updates released by Instagram recently

Instagram released a suite of new updates earlier this month to make it easier for users to delete posts, comments, and other actions from the network. Users can bulk remove or archive all of their content, including posts, Stories, IGTV, and Reels, as well as their interactions, such as comments, likes, and storey sticker reactions. In the Your Activity section of Instagram, users may also filter their material and interactions by date and search for past comments, likes, and storey replies from a certain period range.