Popular social media app Instagram has now added online status in direct messages. This means that all your friends would know the last time you were active on the app.
Gadget360 reports that this feature is available even when the person is not your follower.
This feature works exactly like the “Last Seen” feature on WhatsApp and ‘Active at’ feature on Facebook Messenger. It is available when you go to the direct message area of the app.
According to Thenextweb, this feature was released as part of new updates for Android and iOS. Instagram displays the user’s online status directly below the username.
This latest update does not come as a huge surprise to users. Social media users are already familiar with the feature as it exists on popular platforms such as Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger.
The app did, however, include an option to opt out of displaying your online status. It can be turned off by toggling the Show Activity Status’ option in the app’s settings. Turning off the feature means you won’t be able to see the online status of other users too.
New text-only feature for Instagram Stories
As much as Instagram is based on images and videos, sometimes neither of these is good enough to share what is on your mind. A lot of times, text is a much better tool to express how you feel. Instagram understands this.
The company is reportedly testing a new text-only written Stories on its app.
Users have various fonts and styles to play with for text Stories. By default, Instagram will select a plain or gradient background for your text Stories, but you can upload your own images as the background. Instagram also gives you the option to include filters in your Stories for emphasis.
The feature will be available in the next update. You will find it as an option below the Stories camera. It appears next to the other types like Boomerang and Rewind.
New security feature for your images
According to reports from WeBetaInfo, Instagram is also testing a new security feature for Stories. The app will now send out a notification anytime other users take a screenshot of your story.
The app had previously supported notifications for screenshots in direct messages, but it will now support it for Stories.
The feature will not notify users when they take a screenshot for the first time. But will do so when it is done a second time.
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