Instagram now lets you disable likes, that’s how it works

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter already have one thing in common: they are all companies that have based their platforms on the concept behind ‘likes’. In other words, liking messages that someone posts. To bring the focus back to the social aspect behind social media, Instagram now lets you turn off likes. This is how it works.

Likes on Instagram

Instagram started testing the functionality to turn off likes for your own posts as well as for the posts that others post in 2019. According to Instagram, the disappearance of likes from the timeline is an important step in making the social medium more accessible; creators would therefore feel less burdened to post content that scores less well. Others do not immediately get insight into the number of likes that the post received, only the creator himself can easily see this.

Some creators felt fear and embarrassment when posting, especially if it was less popular than expected. In some cases, this even leads to a post that gets fewer likes being removed from the platform. An unsettling sensation for Instagram, a platform that wants its users to focus on the photos and videos being posted — not the number of likes others give to the post.

Ultimately, the likes led to divided camps in recent years. On the one hand, there is a group that finds the likes extremely important, including some of the influencers who use ‘likes’ as currency to enter into partnerships with companies. In the middle you have a group of users who like to see if a post is ‘catching on with others’ and use the likes as an indicator, and on the other side there is a group of users who prefer not to deal with likes, it makes them feel insecure or even averse to them.

disable Instagram likes

Instagram has chosen not to disable the likes for everyone based on the tests. At least: not without user action. An Instagram update that began rolling out on May 26, 2021 brings Instagram users the setting to instantly disable likes on the timeline and for their own posts. For those who still like to keep insight into the likes of others, it is therefore possible to keep the likes enabled. You can always check your own likes, even if you determine that others cannot see how many likes your post has.

Instagram has incorporated the feature in two separate spots. On the one hand you will find the setting in the message settings, and on the other hand you can adjust this when posting a message. With the latter option, you exclude the possibility for others to see ‘how many likes’ your message received. The first option is for you only – you remove the number of likes from the posts that others have posted. Below we give the steps you need to go through for both options.

Message Settings

1. Open the Instagram app on Android
2. Navigate to you Instagram profile
3. Click on the top right hamburger menu
4. Then click at the bottom Settings
5. In the next section, choose the tab Privacy
6. Within Privacy click on Messages
7. Put the switch next Hide number of likes and views On

After this, the number of likes of messages that others have posted will disappear. You can still add up all likes, but you won’t get a direct insight into how popular a message is.

Messages to be posted

1. Open the Instagram app on Android
2. Click on the Klik in the top bar + icon
3. Select the photo or video you are going to post and choose a (or no) filter
4. Click at the bottom of the tab New message on Advanced settings
5. Put the switch next to Hide number of likes and views for this post On

This setting requires you to set it repeatedly for each message. So Instagram doesn’t save the setting for all posts you’re going to post in the future.

Have you ever thought about a future without likes? Feel free to let us know in the comments at the bottom of the article. We are therefore curious whether you have already hidden likes on Instagram, or whether you are still planning to do so.