After a month of ‘small global test,’ Instagram and Facebook today rolled out the ability that allows users to hide like counts from their posts. The newly introduced feature allows you to hide like counts from your posts as well as from other’s posts.
Instagram and Facebook shared the news of hiding like counts on their blog posts. Facebook says that the test was conducted to ‘depressurize’ people’s experience on social media platforms. It will allow users to ‘enjoy’ the social media, instead of focusing on how many likes their photos and videos are getting, says Instagram.
“What we heard from people and experts was that not seeing like counts was beneficial for some, and annoying to others, particularly because people use like counts to get a sense for what’s trending or popular, so we’re giving you the choice.”
The feature would prove useful for a lot of users, but for creators who rely on interactions and engagement for brand endorsements, the feature would prove dreadful. This is the main reason behind Facebook and Instagram providing an option to hide like counts, instead of completely disabling it.
How to Disable Like Counts on Instagram and Facebook
- To hide likes from other’s posts:
Step 1: Open the Instagram app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Head over to your profile and tap on the three-line icon on the top right.
Step 3: Go to Settings > Privacy.
Step 4: Now head over to Posts > Hide Like and View Counts and turn off the toggle.
- To hide likes from your current posts:
Step 1: Go to the desired post.
Step 2: Tap three dots on the top right-hand corner of a post.
Step 3: Tap on Hide Like Count.
- To hide likes from your future posts:
Step 1: Create a new post as usual.
Step 2: Just before posting it, Tap on Advanced Settings at the bottom of the screen.
Step 3: Now tap on Hide Like and View Counts on This Post.
Facebook’s ability of hiding likes would be ‘rolling out over the next few weeks,’ however, The Verge has already revealed how the feature would work.
Step 1: Open the Facebook app and tap the three-line icon in the bottom right corner.
Step 2: Swipe down and select Settings.
Step 3: Under the News Feed Settings, choose Reaction Counts.
Step 4: Turn off the toggle that says Hide number of reactions on other posts and your posts.
The feature is still rolling out as a ‘server side switch.’ So if you don’t see it immediately, wait for a few days for it to appear.
[Via Instagram, Facebook, The Verge]
