Instagram testing 'Hide Like' feature

This time the application will begin to explore a new option where users get to decide what works best for them — either choosing to see the Like counts on others’ posts or not. Users will also be able to turn off Like counts on their posts if they choose.

According to Instagram, the purpose of this feature is to reduce the anxiety and embarrassment of the user as most of the users get stressed after seeing the number of likes on their post. And such problems are more common in young users.

It should be noted that Instagram also started testing this feature in 2019. However, this experiment was done in a limited number of users and selected regions, but due to the changing situation after COVID-19, the company has shifted its focus to other important features.

“We’re testing this on Instagram to start, but we’re also exploring a similar experience for Facebook. We will learn from this new small test and have more to share soon,” a Facebook company spokesperson said.

Initially, ‘Hide Like’ only allows the user to see if he wanted to see another user's like count. But now the company is giving the user the option of whether he wants to see and show his like account or not.

If the user has opted in, they will find a new option to hide the Likes from within the app’s Settings. This will prevent users from seeing Likes on other people’s posts as they scroll through Instagram Feed.

The creator will be able to hide Likes on a per-post basis via the three-dot “…” menu at the top. Even if Likes are disabled publicly, creators can still be able to view Like counts and other engagements through analytics, just as they did before.

According to a website report, Facebook is also testing a similar feature on its social media platform.

Earlier, Instagram while testing the new feature was found to be malfunctioning.

We've been testing a new experience to hide likes on Feed posts. We unintentionally added more people to the test today, which was a bug — we’re fixing this issue and restoring like counts to those people as soon as possible.

— Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) March 3, 2021

In the testing, Instagram was trying to hide the number of likes on the posts of users and due to a bug, the number of likes on the posts of several users were hidden.

This issue has now been fixed. Pull down to refresh your feed and your likes should restore - thanks for your patience!

— Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) March 3, 2021

A statement from the company later said that this was an unintentional occurrence which they are trying to fix as soon as possible and users will start seeing the likes of their posts back.

Remember that Instagram started testing the feature of keeping likes hidden from 2019.

The company said that the purpose of hiding the number of likes is to keep followers on Instagram focused on what they have shared, not on how many likes are coming to the posts.

The company clarified that the main purpose of this change is to relieve the users from the pressure of ‘most likes’ they have on their posts, while also comparing them with each other based on the number of likes.