Buzz
Instagram introduces its latest feature, Stories, as of August 2nd. Say goodbye to meticulously planning your posts! With Stories, share multiple photos and videos throughout the day, and after 24 hours, they vanish into the ether.
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- Get Instagram for iPhone
Images and videos uploaded in the Stories section will be linked together to form a photo library. To create Stories, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open Instagram, tap the plus icon at the top left corner of the Home screen, or swipe left to open Stories.
Step 2: Capture photos by tapping or record videos by holding down the circular button at the bottom of the screen.
If you're not keen on capturing photos and shooting videos using Instagram, you can incorporate these visuals directly from your phone's library.
Step 1: Open Instagram and tap the plus icon located at the top left to create Stories.
Step 2: While on the Instagram camera screen, scroll down to find the most recent photos/videos on your phone. Select an image/video and post as usual. Remember, you can only use images/videos saved in your library from the past 24 hours, so act quickly.
A Beginner's Guide to Using Instagram Stories
The photos and videos you select to craft into Stories will only be visible for 24 hours. Once your Stories are created, your profile picture will appear at the top of the Feed section, encircled, letting your followers know to check out your story.
2.2. Deleting Stories
If you accidentally post something undesired on Stories, fret not! You can easily remove them. Simply tap the three-dot icon at the bottom right corner of the image or video, then select Delete.
2.3. Adding Image Filters
Currently, Stories filters are relatively simple compared to Snapchat. After taking a photo or recording a video, swipe across the screen to add effects. There are 7 effects to choose from, but more are sure to be added in the future.
2.4. Changing Text Color
If you find black text too dull, spice it up by changing your text color. Simply tap the Aa icon at the top right corner. Swipe left to view more colors and select according to your preference.
2.5. Adding Background Color to the Entire Image
Sometimes, all you need is to post a photo with a background color along with text and drawings. Snap any photo with Stories, then tap the paintbrush icon at the top right corner.
Select your desired background color, and hold your finger on the photo until it fills with that color. Use this brush tool to customize and unleash endless creativity with your photos.
The Ultimate Guide to Using Instagram Stories from A to Z
2.6. Tagging Friends in Stories
To tag someone in your story, simply type @username when adding text to your Story. This tag will link your Story to that person's profile. You can tag up to 10 people.
The tagged person will receive a notification from Instagram Direct, a great way for friends to know about your Stories. If the tagged person doesn't follow you, there will be a notification in their messages section.
2.7. Navigating Between Stories
While viewing your friends' Stories, you can swipe left to view the next Story, swipe right to view the previous Story, and tap on the screen to skip that Story.
2.8. Muting Someone's Stories
There may be times when you don't want updates from someone. To mute their Stories, press and hold their Story icon when it appears in the Stories list. A window will pop up allowing you to mute their stories.
This won't remove the Story from the list entirely but will move it to the end, and it won't automatically play. When you want to unmute them, repeat the process and select Unmute.
2.9. How to Hide Stories
You can choose who can and cannot view your Stories. For example, when you don't want your parents to know about your new boyfriend. Go to your profile, tap the gear icon (iOS) or three-dot icon (Android) at the top right of the screen. Select Story Settings and click on Hide My Story From.
Choose the person you want to hide from and press Done. They will still be able to view your profile and posts but won't see your Stories.
2.10. Checking Who's Viewing Your Story
Want to know who's watching your Story? Open your Story and swipe up. The bottom section will display views and the people who have viewed your Story. Only you can see this information.
If someone is viewing your Story and you don't want them to see it anymore, simply click on the three-dot button next to their name and select Hide Story From [username].
You Can Message Instead of Comment: You can send direct messages to your friends from their Story. At the bottom left corner of the screen, you'll see the text Send Message. Click on it, type your message, and hit Send. This feature only works if the person allows comments.
2.11. Blocking Comments
You can also block others from commenting on your Story. Go to your profile, tap the gear icon (iOS) or three-dot icon (Android) at the top right of the screen. In Story Settings, there are 3 options
- Everyone: allows comments from anyone
- People You Follow: only allows comments from people you follow
- Off: disables comments from everyone.
2.12. Saving Your Stories
If you want to preserve one of your stories and prevent it from disappearing after 24 hours, you can download it to your phone. Open Your Story (tap on your avatar) and click on the three-dot icon at the bottom right. Select Save Photo.
To set up automatic saving of Stories to your phone's library, go to your profile, tap the gear icon (iOS) or three-dot icon (Android) at the top right of the screen, select Story Settings. Under the Camera section, turn on Always Save Photos and Videos.
Alternatively, tap on the gear icon within the Story screen and slide the Always Save Photos and Videos toggle to automatically save Stories to your phone's library.
2.13. Posting Stories to Your Profile
If you want to preserve a Story on Instagram, post it to your profile. Open Your Story, and tap on the three-dot icon at the bottom right of the story you want to post. Select Share as Post. You can add effects, captions, locations... just like posting a regular post and then hit Share.
Note: when posted this way, the photos and videos won't disappear after 24 hours, and anyone with access to your profile can view this content.
Here, Mytour has guided on how to use Instagram Stories including creating a Stories and some interesting Instagram tricks with this new feature applied to both Instagram for Android and iOS devices. This feature is a new addition helping Instagram directly compete with Snapchat. For those who have installed Instagram on Windows 10, this feature is not available yet. Perhaps you'll have to wait for upcoming versions. Mytour will continue updating in subsequent updates for Instagram Stories feature.
