Instagram Is Investigating a New Cooperative Feature Named “Storylines”

Instagram is perpetually testing new functionalities, and the most recent one under development is known as “Storylines.”

Earlier this month, application researcher Alessandro Paluzzi disclosed a screenshot on Threads suggesting that Instagram was focused on this new feature. On Sunday, he provided confirmation and a more detailed look at how Storylines would operate.

Based on the screenshot, Storylines enables users to “link stories to create a storyline.” Friends can add to it by linking their own Stories to yours, and followers whom you follow back can also include relevant content. Essentially, it’s a collaborative storytelling feature that enhances Instagram’s current “Add Yours” function, but offers greater integration and shared visibility.

“The storyline expands as friends contribute to it,” the screenshot notes. “As individuals join, followers they follow back can also add. Adjust who can participate or disable storylines in settings.”

For instance, if you’re commemorating a friend’s birthday, you might share a Story and encourage others to submit their own birthday messages or images. All contributions would be consolidated into a single, dynamic storyline.

Stories included in a Storyline would be displayed together, making it straightforward for followers to access the combined content. While only your followers can view your individual Story, anyone can see that you’re part of a Storyline.

Nevertheless, don’t get too eager just yet. A Meta representative informed Mashable that “this is an internal prototype and not undergoing public testing.” This implies there’s no certainty that the feature will be available to users in the near future — or at all.

Update: This article has been revised to add a comment from Meta.