Instagram to develop new repost feature; details inside

Instagram is working on a feature that allows users to repost Reels, Stories and posts by other users, according to reports. The photo and video sharing app confirmed to TechCrunch that it is working on the feature and plans to begin testing it soon with a select group of users.

“We’re exploring the ability to reshare posts in Feed — similar to how you can reshare in Stories — so people can share what resonates with them, and so original creators are credited for their work” a spokesperson for Meta, which owns Instagram, told the media outlet.

The development was spotted some days ago by Mat Navarra, social media consultant. He posted some screenshots of the feature on his social media handles.

The screenshot shows a ‘Reposts’ tab which is likely to show all the posts that have been shared by a user. The tab will appear on the account’s profile.

In May this year, app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi spotted the repost feature in development. He also shared a screenshot of the same. Just like Twitter, people will have the option to express their own thoughts as well while re-sharing any post.

With this upcoming feature, Instagram will be able to compete with Twitter, as far as reposting other posts, Reels and Stories is concerned. While it is extremely simple to use the retweet feature on Twitter, Instagram does not allow users to directly share others’ posts or Reels (unless in a Story), though some people use third-party apps for the same.This feature will give users the option to share others’ Reels, Stories or posts directly in their feed. Video app TikTok has also been working on a repost button on the lines of Twitter.