As we reported last week, Instagram was about to hide Like counts from people who view your posts. And now it’s official: the test feature has been launched. Over the next couple of days, users in Canada will not be able to see the Likes on other people’s posts.
The feature was originally discovered by Jane Manchun Wong, who posted the screenshot of the change on Twitter.
Apparently, by hiding the Like counts from others, Instagram wants to put the focus on the content, rather than the number of likes and comments the post has received. The only person able to see the exact number of likes would be the one who posted the content. As DPReview reports, Instagram parent company Facebook confirmed at its F8 developer conference that the feature might be shared on the entire platform. For now, it is being tested only in Canada. But based on the users’ reactions, Instagram may soon apply the latest change for accounts in the rest of the world. Personally, I’m curious to see how this unfolds, and I’d love to hear the reactions of people when the Likes get hidden. I believe it could indeed shift focus from quantity to quality, at least a bit. But I guess we should cross that bridge when we get to it. [via DPReview]
