Instagram's tests Hide feature to disable ‘Like’ counts

Instagram (IG) has announced the launch of a new test that will enable IG users to choose whether they want to display the posts’ ‘Like’ counts or not. 

This announcement was made by Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri on Twitter. He said, 'Last year we started hiding like counts for a small group of people to see if it lessens some pressure when posting to Instagram. Some found this helpful and some still wanted to see like counts, in particular to track what’s popular. So we’re testing a new option that lets you decide the experience that’s best for you – whether that’s choosing not to see like counts on anyone else’s posts, turning them off for your own posts, or keeping the original experience.

Instagram began testing its hide feature two years ago in some regions but the project was de-prioritized due to the pandemic and has restarted again. Alessandro Paluzzi, an app researcher, shared the screenshot of a new option with Instagram's backend code that will enable users to hide like counts on their posts. 

Users would be able to hide ‘Like’ counts on posts both within the composer when initially posting, and in retrospect, while there would also be an option to hide like counts on other people's posts, as displayed within their app. Mosseri confirmed that these three alternatives will be made available as IG goes ahead with the new tests.

1. Hiding ‘Like’ counts on other people's posts
2. Switching off ‘Like’ counts on your own posts
3. Keeping full ‘Like’ counts in the app

Mosseri mentioned that the same feature will be tested for Facebook as well.