Stories, Highlights and Reels

The circles at the top of the Feed are now stories, and they work the way you already know from Instagram.

• Your story: tap + to add a picture or a clip of up to a minute from your camera roll or your Library, or just words on colour. It lasts 24 hours.
• Write on it in five styles, mention someone, add a link, a poll, a sticker or a piece of music from your own sounds. Everything is drawn by the app, so it stays sharp.
• Share it with everyone who can see your posts, or only with your Close friends (their ring turns green).
• Tap right or left to move, hold to pause, swipe down to close and sideways for the next person. Replies and quick reactions arrive in Messages with a picture of the story.
• On your own story you see who saw it. After 24 hours it moves to your Archive, which only you can see.
• Highlights: keep stories on your profile under your bio, with a name and a cover you choose.
• Reels: video posts full screen, one at a time. Swipe up for the next, with likes, comments, sharing and saving on the right. Open it from Search, a profile's Clips or any video post.
• Collections: press and hold the bookmark to save a post into a named collection. Saved shows them all.
• Add to your story works from any post's Share menu and from any picture, clip or sound in your Library.
• Notifications are grouped like Instagram's activity: Today, Yesterday, This week, This month and Earlier.

Stories pass the same safety check as posts before anyone sees them.