Users can now comment on Instagram Stories.

I have exciting news for reply guys. They can now leave comments on Instagram Stories.

Previously, reply guys were limited to just three options to show their interest on a Story post: liking with a heart, reacting with an emoji (🔥), or sending a private DM. They felt disadvantaged and unsure how to elicit a response with only three choices.

Luckily, Instagram has listened to their needs. For private accounts, anyone followed by the poster can now leave comments. For public accounts, anyone followed by the poster can comment, regardless of being followed back. While the comments are temporary like Stories, they are public and can be saved as highlights.

Tweet may have been deleted

In addition to catering to reply guys, Instagram’s expansion of features for Stories makes sense. More users are shifting towards Instagram Stories and Reels, so enhancing engagement options on these platforms is a strategic move. This change encourages users to spend more time on the app.

The feature is currently rolling out, so if you don’t see it yet, don’t worry. If you do see it and wish to disable it, you can do so in your settings and activity page under “how others can interact with you” by adjusting the Stories setting.