Instagram expands Close Friends feature to posts and reels as well

Instagram's most recent feature allows you to limit your postings to only close friends. You could already share Stories and Notes with only the folks on your close friends list, but adding posts and Reels might significantly alter how Instagram functions.

Because you no longer have to share things with your whole follower list, and other users can do the same, your Instagram feed may begin to feel more like it's filled with posts from a smaller group. Close friends' accounts are marked with a green star, and extending that "green list" to Reels might go a long way toward making the service feel more private.

Instagram attempted to create a close friends-only platform with the debut of its original Threads app in 2019, but it now appears that it is attempting to bring that feeling of seclusion to Instagram as well. Meanwhile, Facebook has long allowed users to limit posts to specific groups of people on their friends list, whether it's for close friends, acquaintances, or people with whom you don't wish to share posts at all.

Select the Audience option when you're preparing to share a post or reel to limit it to close friends only. Then, select Close Friends > Done and share your post as usual. Only your closest friends will see the photo, video, or reel you publish, as well as a green star icon indicating that it was recently shared with users on your list.

Instagram formerly did not allow you to customize the visibility of each post. You could only set your account to public or private.

Instagram launched its close friends feature in 2018 as a method to share Stories with smaller groups, and it has since evolved into a useful option for users to share things that they may not want all of their followers to view. Now that the same rule applies to posts and Reels published on the site, you may see less — or more — from users on your timeline, depending on whether you're on their list of close friends.