Instagram Stories Adds New Stickers, Including Frames, Reveal, and More

Instagram has released a bunch of new interactive sticker options for users to use on their Stories. Instagram Stories is a popular way for sharing content on the platform, next to posting an image, video or Reel. Users can upload text, images, or video stories and may even combine elements from all these options. The new stickers are claimed to help users express themselves more creatively. One of the many features includes users being able to make stickers to use on their Instagram stories from existing photos in their albums.

Meta confirmed the new series of interactive stickers for Instagram Stories in a blog post. One of the most innovative additions is the Reveal sticker, which essentially 'hides' the content of the Story by blurring it. To view the full story, viewers will have to DM the poster. There is no approval from the poster needed. Once the DM is delivered to the person who posted the Story with the Reveal sticker, the viewer will be able to see all the contents of the Story.

The company is also introducing a new Add Yours Music sticker which Instagram followers of the poster can add their music of choice too. It works similarly to the Add Yours images or Reel sticker. People viewing the story can click on the sticker to post a Story with the same sticker alongside images and music of their choice.

Instagram Stories will also now have a Frames sticker option, which turns any photo into an instant Polaroid-like print. The Cutouts sticker option, true to its name, allows users to create stickers with cutouts from different images to use on Instagram Stories.

Meanwhile, Instagram also recently added a new feature to its iOS app which helps clicking and posting Stories more accessible. iOS users can now add a new lock screen widget which directly opens the Story Camera, allowing users to click a picture or shoot a video and post it as a Story, without opening the main Instagram application.

Meta recently confirmed that Instagram will test features that blur messages with nudity content to protect teenage users and "prevent potential scammers from reaching them." This announcement came on the heels of growing allegations that the Meta-owned apps were addictive and have contributed to mental health issues among young people.