Want to turn off Instagram likes?
Instagram and Facebook are testing a feature to allows users to control whether they want to display likes. The “small global test” has three options — turning off likes for your own posts, turning off likes for everyone’s posts, or leaving likes as is.
Instagram has been testing a feature among some users that automatically hides likes without giving users any option to turn it on or off. Users can only see the like counts for their own individual posts. However, a list of people who have liked posts — including those you follow — remains available.
Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, has been testing since 2019, tracking to see whether the hiding of likes could “lessen some pressure when posting” to the app.
We’re testing this because we want Instagram to be a place where people feel comfortable expressing themselves,” the company explained.
Tests were mainly positive, but there was some backlash from celebrities and influencers.
