Optional feature to hide likes on Instagram, Facebook is coming sooner than you think

Facebook and Instagram will soon allow people to hide likes on posts. The option will be first rolled out on Instagram, Facebook’s picture-based application. Larer, the feature will also be rolled out for Facebook users.

The measure is part of company’s plans to check the pressure of using services among its customers. According to a blog post by Instagram, the feature will be available to users in “the next few weeks”. Once it is up, users will be able to choose whether they want likes to be displayed on their feeds as well on their posts.

According to the test results, hiding likes did not necessarily show much change in people’s well-being. Currently, public opinion on the move remains divided.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri reportedly said that such moves constitute company plans to offer companies more control over their experiences on the application.

Also read: US lawmakers urge Facebook to drop plans for Instagram for kids

Based on the limited testing of the feature among people, Instagram found that some users found it beneficial, while many were not pleased with the scope of losing the metric. Mosseri believes user engagement on the application will not be affected by the move.

Instagram has been facing flak recently for its plans to create a version of the application catering to children aged 14 and below. Attorney generals from 44 US states have urged Facebook to shelve the plan altogether.

Likes are denoted by heart shapes on Instagram and with a thumbs-up on Facebook. These features display the popularity of posts made on the platforms.

Also read: Instagram to let users add pronouns in profiles, in nod to alternate gender identities