The Instagram photo and video-sharing platform announced modifications to the Close Friends feature to include feed posts and short Reels videos that users share.
The Close Friends feature has been available to users for years when sharing their Stories, as it allows it to be displayed only to a pre-prepared list of friends and not to all followers.
Users can now try this feature with posts and short videos by clicking on the Audience menu and choosing Close Friends before publishing, as posts and videos shared with Close Friends will appear marked with a green star, and interaction with them will be limited only to the people on the list.
"We know our community already uses Close Friends as a pressure-free space to connect with the people that matter most. We hope this opens up more ways to be your most authentic self on Instagram while having more choices over who sees your content," Instagram said in an official statement.
Content creators can monetize this feature and sell subscriptions to it in exchange for publishing exclusive content for people who join the list of close friends, Instagram added.
The platform also revealed a set of additional options that facilitate the process of creating and editing short Reels videos to reduce users' dependence on external video editing programs.
