Instagram Now Lets Users Leave Comments on Ephemeral Stories

Instagram has announced support for leaving comments on Stories, the ephemeral posts that have become almost as popular as regular Instagram posts.

Instagram Feature 2
Previously, the only option was to send a private reply, which appeared as a direct message visible solely to the Story's creator. Now, Instagram has introduced a more public option: Comments. These comments are visible to other users, unlike the private replies.

However, the ability to comment comes with restrictions. Only mutual followers (meaning people who follow the Story creator and are followed back by them) can leave comments. Instagram says the new feature aims to offer a more open way to engage with Stories, while still maintaining the original private messaging option for those who prefer one-on-one interactions.

Like the Stories themselves, comments posted about them are temporary and last for up to 24 hours. Users have the option to turn comments on or off when sharing Stories, but Instagram has not said whether they are archived along with a Story when it reaches its end of life.

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Last month, Instagram added support for adding text and additional images to photo and carousel posts, which can now include up to 20 photos and videos. It also recently introduced a feature for adding a song to an Instagram profile.

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Top Rated Comments

Alwaysfindsaway Avatar
8 months ago
Ephemeral? Seriously? Trying way too hard. ? Maybe someone got word of day toilet paper..
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
8 months ago
"Ephemeral" wow - learned a new English word today.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zeke92 Avatar
8 months ago
Who are these people in the chat who are disparaging the use of the word ephemeral? This word has been used to describe Snapchat like stories for ages.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mystery hill Avatar
8 months ago
Comments are temporary visible, but stay permanently with Meta.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
surfzen21 Avatar
8 months ago
Here me out, what is Insta when back to its spiritual roots and removed all captions and posts. You can only post pictures and you'll never know what anyone thought of it. ?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kalsta Avatar
8 months ago

"Ephemeral" wow - learned a new English word today.
It basically means momentary. Unless you speak US English, in which case momentary means in a moment, not for a moment. I recall being on a flight in the US where the captain announced that the plane would be taking off momentarily… which was a little disconcerting to a passenger accustomed to Australian/UK English!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)