Instagram begins rolling out new link stickers to all users

Back in August, Instagram announced that it would be ditching the “swipe up” gesture for sharing links in favor of a new sticker format. That change is now complete, and Instagram is rolling out the ability to share link stickers to everyone on the platform.

In its tests of the new link stickers feature, Instagram limited availability to users who are verified on the platform or who have at least 10,000 followers. As reported by the Verge, however, link stickers are now available to all users regardless of verification status or number of followers. This is notable because the previous swipe up gesture was also limited to only certain accounts.

Now that anyone has the ability to add links to their Instagram Stories, the social network is touting the benefits and increased engagement possibilities:

According to the social network, link stickers are useful for anyone from businesses linking out to their products to activists linking out to external resources. But Instagram concedes that anyone can benefit from link sharing to engage with their followers. It also says that accounts repeatedly sharing misinformation or hate speech will lose access.

You can find the new Instagram link sticker to add to your satires by creating a story as usual, tapping the sticker tool in the top navigation bar, and looking for the “Link” sticker. Then, you can enter your desired URL and the sticker will appear as tappable for viewers.

What do you think of Instagram’s new link sticker idea? Do you plan on using it for your Stories? Let us know down in the comments!