Instagram is replacing swipe up with link sticker feature

From August 30 onward, Instagram is discontinuing the swipe-up feature, which allows people to visit external links by swiping up, confirmed by the company.

The current feature will be replaced by link stickers, as per Instagram. These will be tappable stickers that will take the user to external links.

The company says its retiring the swipe up – a feature that has its own library of GIFs – to give users more freedom in story creation and offer more creative control, given that the stickers can be customized while swipe up can not be.

This new update is based on the tests that the company started in the summer of this year. In June, Instagram started testing these link stickers. It was made available to users who had the privilege of swipe up (To be eligible for swipe up, users need to have at least 10,000 followers.)

During the testing phase, Vishal Shah, former head of product at Instagram, told the media that the stickers are more suitable as per the current usage of the users.

He also stated that the purpose was to distribute the stickers more widely. Apart from the obvious gesture difference, the fundamental distinction between the two features is that viewers can respond to articles with a link sticker, but not swipe up stories.

Also Read

Instagram introduces another useful feature testing ads on a shop tab

Instagram Shops launches first-ever ad testing on its platform to attract more...