Have you ever wished for a more targeted form of Instagram posting? A way, for instance, to share pictures with a select group of your friends or followers? If you’re screaming ‘yes’ right now then rest assured that Instagram has heard your voice and listened to its users trying to come up with hacks to allow them to do just that, with ‘favourites’.

Although still in the testing phases, Instagram has revealed that they are playing around with a new function that would essentially act as a way of grouping various followers into designated lists. These can then be posted to as a smaller collective in comparison with your larger audience.

As we understand it, in addition to individual posts that you deem relevant to be shared with your ‘favourites’ group, you can also target a select group using the ‘stories’ function. Users that you add to each specific list of your friends will only be visible to you. Instagram called the ‘favorites’ function “an initial test with a small percentage of users.”

The new feature will have its own icon and be on the main profile page. You can add as many followers as you like to each list but your friends cannot request to be added. Once you have a photo, video or story ready to send to your group, you simply tap the ‘favourites’ button and toggle between your created lists.

Feed posts that have been shared to your ‘favorites’ are designated their own tab on your profile so you know exactly which photos and videos they can see and you can revisit them if you like.

If you get added to a friend’s ‘favourites’ list and see a post as part of that select group you will know it as the content will show up in your feed with a ‘favourites’ badge at the top. Recipients of each targeted share will be able to like, comment and respond to posts and stories as normal.

Instagram have also been busy testing what they are referring to as a “lightweight profile refresh,” simplifying and organizing the features without changing how the application works.

The line from the Facebook-owned social media giant is that the best version of Instagram is one where you feel closer to the people you are connected to. Even if you live all over the world, you feel like you’re with them. This is something they want to use to drive the company forward as the core focus of the product.

The hope is that these new updates are a step towards making the app more user-friendly. If you would like to know more about the functionality of Instagram and other social media platforms, have a look at our services and get in touch!