Instagram might soon let everyone share links in stories

What you need to know

Instagram is testing letting anyone share links in Stories.
Right now only verified users and those with more than 10,000 users can share links.

You need to be verified or have 10,000 followers right now.

Instagram is testing a change that would allow anyone to share links via their Stories, according to a new report. The move would be a big change for a company that has historically made it difficult to put links anywhere, especially for average users.

According to a report by The Verge, a test phase is currently underway with the idea being that Instagram will be able to see how people make use of the ability to share links.

For now, the test is small, and Vishal Shah, Instagram’s head of product, tells The Verge it’s mostly to learn how people might take advantage of links. They’ll be watching for the types of links people post while keeping a particular eye on misinformation and spam. Plus, stickers, he says, fit more into the current way people use the platform, so he says this test “brings links into the same kind of overall system, which from a simplicity of system perspective, also makes a lot of sense.”

Right now, only people who are verified or have 10,000 followers on Instagram can post links in their Stories. Allowing everyone to share links would be quite the departure, with Instagram also saying that it intends to offer link stickers eventually, too.

He adds that link stickers are the eventual goal for Instagram, whether that be for everyone or just people who already have linking privileges. “That is the sort of future system we would like to get to,” he says. “And that’s what we hope to roll out, if we’re able to make this work.”

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