Instagram Is Now Hiding Likes: Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Brace yourselves: Instagram is now hiding likes in the United States.

Hidden likes on Instagram will begin rolling out to users this week, 6 months after they first announced the “test” that would hide public like counts on all Instagram posts.

Instagram likes first disappeared in Canada last May, and then expanded to several more countries, including Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand, and as of today, the United States.

Hiding Instagram likes in the United States is a BIG deal.

Find out why Instagram is hiding likes, what the new design looks like, how it works, and the impact it could have on influencers and businesses:

Why is Instagram Hiding Likes in the US? 

Instagram users in the United States might wake up to their Instagram feed looking different in the coming weeks.

Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, announced that hidden likes on Instagram will begin testing for US audiences:

Speaking at WIRED25 Conference, Mosseri shared it was time to expand their testing to the US in a bid to make Instagram a safer place on the internet.

And while not everyone will be affected initially, some U.S.-based users will be part of the now international test group, and we can expect this to expand to more users as time goes on. 

How Do Hidden Likes on Instagram Work?

It’s important to note that likes will not be disappearing altogether – rather, they will just be hidden to followers, but users will still be able to view how many likes they’ve received on a post with just a couple taps.

Here’s what the new “private likes” design looks like when you’re scrolling Instagram:

“As you scroll through your feed, there are no like counts,” explained Mark Zuckerberg at F8. “You can see who liked a photo or video, you can tap through to see [the list], and if you have the time you can add them all up yourself.”

But can you still see how many likes you get on your own Instagram posts? 

Yes, you will still be able to see how many likes you’re getting on posts, even if your followers can’t.

But the likes count won’t automatically appear under your post, instead, you will have to tap “others” under your blog post to go through to the total number of likes:

Why Instagram is Hiding Likes

So, why is Instagram hiding likes?

It all comes down to making Instagram a safe and healthy place to spend time online, which is important for everyone’s mental health, but particularly Gen Z.

As Mosseri shared, “the idea is to de-pressurize Instagram”, and make it a space that’s more focused on connections, conversations and community, especially for young people. 

This year Instagram has been taking positive actions to make the platform a safer, more inclusive space.

And with the introduction of private likes for some of Instagram’s 110 million users in the US, it could mark the beginning of a very different Instagram for everyone.

This is easily Instagram’s biggest news of 2019, and it’s being met mostly with positive reactions, especially from celebrities.

CardiB took to Instagram when the news broke to share her thoughts on the announcement: 

“It’s a big ruckus right now that the likes on Instagram are getting taken away,” CardiB said in her IGTV video.

Speaking on how ‘commenting culture’ can have a negative effect on creators, she backs the removal of likes, but highlights that more to be done.

And CardiB is not alone in voicing concerns about the toxicity that can live on Instagram. 

Kim Kardashian West agrees that taking away Instagram likes could be beneficial for our mental health.

Attending the New York Times‘ DealBook Conference, Kim said: “As far as mental health, I think taking the likes away and taking that aspect away from [Instagram] would be really beneficial for people.”

“I find myself to be extremely mentally strong and I have people who are obsessed with the comments, and I find that to be really unhealthy,” Kim said. 

How to Hide Your Likes on Instagram (Or Get Them Back):

As of this week, only users in Canada, Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand and selected test groups in the US have access to hidden likes on Instagram.

If you’ve been selected for the test, you’ll see a banner at the top of your home feed letting you know why you don’t see likes on another user’s posts anymore.