Instagram is testing an alternative way to share links in Stories. This would go through stickers.
Like any other social platform, Instagram must constantly evolve if it is to remain popular, retain its users and attract new ones. This notably involves adding features or modifying some existing ones. The platform is currently considering expanding link sharing in Stories.
Instagram is testing an alternative method to share links
Sharing a link on Instagram is not easy. It is possible to paste a URL in the caption of a photo, of course, but it is not clickable. The alternative is then to share it directly in a Story but again, the option is not accessible to everyone insofar as you must either be a certified user or have at least 10,000 subscribers. This, most likely, to prevent malicious accounts from creating and spreading malicious links.
In the Stories but via a sticker
That being said, Instagram is now slowly but steadily opening this feature to more users. The company told The Verge that it is currently testing a slightly different way of sharing links. This alternative method would require placing a sticker in the Stories, a sticker which would be clickable and which would take the user to the link in question.
According to Instagram product manager Vishal Shah, this is just a glimpse of what the platform might look like in the future. “It’s kind of a foretaste of the system we would like to move towards. And that’s what we hope we can deploy, if we can make it all work.” Currently, since this is only a test, not everyone can use this option.
It also seems that the feature is still reserved for accounts with a large community and not to everyone. As this is a simple test, you may still have access to this option.
To be continued.