Instagram is developing a feature that will allow users to remove themselves from someone’s “Close Friends” list, Meta told TechCrunch on Friday. The company says the feature is still in early stages and not yet publicly tested.
The social network’s Close Friends feature allows users to share stories, reels and posts with a select group of people, rather than their entire follower base. Since the feature’s launch in 2018, users have been unable to remove themselves from someone else’s close friends list.
The internal prototype was first spotted by reverse engineering Alessandro Palucciwhich specializes in finding unreleased features while they are still in development.
According to a screenshot shared by Paluzzi, Meta will warn users that if they leave a close friends list, they won’t be able to see the content of that person’s close friends unless that person adds them back to their list.
While some people would no doubt feel offended if others left their close friends list, the feature would likely be a welcome addition for those who prefer not to be on specific people’s lists.
It’s worth noting that Snapchat, one of Instagram’s main competitors, already allows its users to remove themselves from someone’s private story – a similar feature.
As with any internal prototype, it’s unknown when or if Instagram plans to publicly release the feature.
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Beyond close friend updates, Instagram is also working on other new features. Meta told TechCrunch earlier this week that it plans to test new subscriptions that give users access to exclusive features on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.
While Meta didn’t share details about the specific features these subscriptions will include, Paluzzi shared that a premium Instagram subscription will allow users to create unlimited audience lists, see which followers are unfollowing them, and view Stories without the poster’s knowledge.
Meta said its goal with upcoming subscriptions is to give users access to special features and more control over how they share and connect, while keeping the core experiences free. The company doesn’t seem to be locked into one strategy, as it plans to test a variety of features and subscription packages with each app subscription offering a distinct set of exclusive features.
