As is often the case, platforms like Instagram will test new features before pumping them out into the wild, but will often be discovered by some code sleuth long before the actual release. The same thing happened with the app’s new portrait mode, which was released weeks after someone discovered remnants of the camera mode hidden in an update.
This time, Twitter user @wongmjane – a computer science student who’s been sifting through Instagram’s code – has found a bunch of new features that the company appears to be testing or has already tested.
While the Facebook-owned app has yet to confirm the claims, they all seem like the kinds of features that would feel at home on the platform. The first one off the mark looks pretty familiar.
Instagram is testing Story “Reactions”. It works kinda like the existing Facebook Stories Reaction pic.twitter.com/z2tAg8BcP2
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 27, 2018
This appears to let folks react to stories with emojis in real-time and also via direct messages similar to how you would in Facebook Messenger. Next up, a new camera mode.
NEW Instagram is testing a ‘Slow-Mo’ feature for Stories
h/t @wongmjane pic.twitter.com/Pmr6RyETbt
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) April 27, 2018
Though the mode is already built into most modern phones, those still running ancient tech will be happy with the addition. It’s also less of a pain in the ass to be able to record slow-mo footage in the app rather than importing from your phone’s camera.
This next feature should have plenty of people stoked.
NEW: Instagram is finally working on a mute button for profiles!
h/t @wongmjane pic.twitter.com/TLB4ON3AQ6
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) April 27, 2018
About fucking time. As far as we can see, this will remove the muted profile’s posts from your feed, but still allow you to follow them, just like Twitter or Facebook. Lastly there’s a little something that’ll make your archive easier to view.
NEW? Instagram Stories Archive – Calendar view
h/t @wongmjane pic.twitter.com/D8AoD7UWhJ
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) April 27, 2018
Rather than the grid you have now, the calendar view should make it much easier to find what you’re looking for.
We won’t know whether any of these features will make it to the end user, but like previous discoveries, if the code has made it this far, it’s safe to assume the additions will be live in around a month or so.
