Instagram appears to be gearing up to release a new repost ability to its users. The new feature was first discovered by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi back in May and recently spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra, who also shared a screenshot of it via Twitter.
As you’d expect based on its name, this function will allow users to repost other users’ posts on the Meta-owned platform, akin to the retweet feature on Twitter. According to the screenshots shared by both Paluzzi and Navarra, the new Repost option can be found in the share menu while its tab is located alongside the post, reels and tagged photos tabs on a user’s profile. Additionally, posts that have been reshared will also appear in both the user and their follower’s feeds.
Instagram Reposts Tab on profiles?!
What’s dis Adam? pic.twitter.com/WayWCJGBfx
— Matt Navarra (I quit X. Follow me on Threads) (@MattNavarra) September 7, 2022
Currently, there isn’t a way to reshare another user’s post on Instagram, although it is possible to do so by sharing it through Stories and direct messages. There is a more direct approach for this but will require the use of third-party apps. Instagram’s upcoming rollout for its official Repost function hopes to remedy this for all of its users, on top of providing credit to the original creators of the shared posts. However, it won’t be available to everyone just yet, as a Meta representative told TechCrunch.
“We’re exploring the ability to reshare posts in Feed, similar to how you can reshare in Stories – so people can share what resonates with them, and so original creators are credited for their work,” the spokesperson said. “We plan to test this soon with a small number of people.”
#Instagram keeps working on the Repost feature 👀
The introductory screen has changed a bit 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/hV1AD4AGpi
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) September 9, 2022
Unfortunately, the social media conglomerate did not say when the beta phase or the full release of the new Repost feature is expected to be rolled out to Instagram users. But based on the information provided by both Paluzzi and Navarra, it appears that the platform is still currently testing it internally and a closed trial may arrive in the next few weeks or months.
(Source: TechCrunch / Matt Navarra / Alessandro Paluzzi)
