Instagram Updates: Recently Deleted Folder, Vertical Stories, & more

Instagram Updates include a series of developments and tests for Stories, and a feature to restore deleted content on Instagram.

The developments for Stories are in the testing or early phases and have not been rolled out on full scale. The 'Recently Deleted' tab, another one of the updates by Instagram has been rolled out.

Recently Deleted

This folder will save Photos, videos, reels, IGTV videos, and stories for 30 days after being deleted, to provide an option to users to restore deleted posts.

Deleted content can be accessed and restored by going to Settings > Account > Recently Deleted. The feature is only available on the latest version of the Instagram app.

Stories that are deleted but not in the archive would remain in the folder for up to 24 hours after being deleted. Every post format apart from Stories would be automatically deleted after 30 days.

Instagram has also added protective layers to prevent hackers from deleting posts, users would be first asked to verify that they are the rightful account holders when permanently deleting or restoring content from Recently Deleted.

Change To Sharing Stories

The platform is testing a change that would not allow users to share feed posts to their Stories. Instagram mentions that they heard feedback from the community saying they want to see fewer posts o Instagram Stories.

Users who are a part of the test would be apprised through a notification on the top of the Feed. Only a small group of users are a part of the test.

Also Read: Instagram Reels now support shopping

Feed posts shared on Stories is a common user behavior on the platform. Stories often act as the 'Share' button on Facebook, since users do not have an option to share posts from other accounts on the Feed.

Influencers also often use Stories to amplify their Feed posts. This behavior often creates repetition in the in-app experience. Moreover, it is also not in line with the functionality of Stories and doesn't fulfill the feature's purpose.

Although, it's unlikely that this change would be exercised on the full scale, since it may agitate several users.

Vertical Stories

Instagram was spotted developing a vertical tab for Stories, enabling users to swipe up and down vertically, instead of horizontal swipes or taps.

Paluzzi dug up the feature from Instagram's code as it is not live yet. Instagram confirmed the development to TechCrunch mentioning that it is an early prototype, and the tab is not testing yet.