In February 2021, Meta-owned Instagram confirmed that it was working on a new Stories design with vertical scrolling, similar to TikTok – but the particulars were unspecified. Now the social platform is finally testing the new Stories redesign with vertical scrolling with a small group of users.
The Stories Redesign with Vertical Scrolling is Open to Limited Users for Now
The news about the Stories redesign with vertical scrolling was further confirmed by the popular social media consultant, Matt Navarra, he stated that some users living in Turkey have obtained an Instagram update that brings vertical scrolling to Stories. While Stories from the same user can still be viewed by tapping the left or right side of the screen, jumping to the next user’s Stories needs a swipe down.
? Instagram is testing a vertical swipe stories feed in Turkey
h/t @yousufortaccom pic.twitter.com/KdJa9CTnTl
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) January 12, 2022
Read more: Instagram is Testing the Much-Requested Chronological Feed
Furthermore, tech journalist Thássius Veloso also received the same update of Stories redesign with vertical scrolling in Brazil, which implies that Instagram has been launching the new vertical scrolling design to more countries. The shift probably comes as an attempt to contest with TikTok, which already offers vertical scrolling in its application. As a result, Instagram has also been making Stories more concentrated on videos rather than static content.
Instagram is Also Working on Increasing Limit for Videos in Stories
Back in December, Instagram was also testing an increased max limit for videos in Stories, which went from 15 seconds to 60 seconds. While users can already post videos of up to 1 minute on Instagram Stories, they become segmented into four videos of 15 seconds each. The Meta-owned social media platform along with Stories redesign with vertical scrolling feature is also testing new ways to sort the feed and even an option to edit the profile grid the way you want it. However, it’s unclear when (or if) these features will become available to all users.
Source: 9to5Mac
