Instagram update brings new ‘sticker’ so that people can finally share easily

Andrew Griffin
Wednesday 30 June 2021 11:56 EDT
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(Getty Images)

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Instagram is trialling a link “sticker”, finally letting people share other websites easily within the app.

Until now, directing people to other websites has been somewhere between difficult and impossible within Instagram. Users have been forced to use the “link in bio” trick – where people must click into someone’s profile and use the link found on there – or can include links within their stories, but only once they have 10,000 followers or are verified.

Now, the company is giving people the option of including links within their stories just by using a sticker, the company told The Verge. People will be able to include a reference to a website within that sticker, and users will be able to click to start browsing it within Instagram.

But for now the test is very small and limited, and seems only to be rolled out to people who have significant followings but are yet to get the option to add a swipe. It is not expected to made more widely available immediately.

The feature is also only available in stories, not in the feed or posts. That means that the prevalent link in bio – and the frustrations with actually finding it – will still be required when trying to send someone to a website from a post.

The feature is one of a range of new tools that Instagram has been rolling out in recent months. They also include the option to upload pictures from the desktop, another frustration that has been present in the app for years and appears to finally be receiving improvement.

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