How To Get Instagram Stories On Your Phone

Over the last few months, Instagram has introduced all sorts of changes — from the logo rebrand to the interest-based news feed, the social media platform has been metamorphosing before our very eyes. And now, after today, you're going to hear a constant buzz of questions like how to get Instagram stories, the newest feature to launch and enhance the way we use the platform. Yes, that's right — as of today, Instagram will be rolling out an update with a new feature. So keep checking your updates for an opportunity to upgrade by going into the App Store and hitting "update".

The concept of "stories" might sound familiar, because it's a feature that Snapchat runs on — it's a fleeting collection of photos that last for 24 hours and disappear forever if you chose not to save them to your main feed. It gives you the flexibility to share pictures with your friends without clogging up the feed. And for those of us who curate our Instagram to represent our personal brand, it allows us to share candid photos without jeopardizing the more intentional and thought-out vibes of our pages.

For Instagram, this feature does not re-write or change their pre-existing platform model — it's an entirely new addition. You will still be able to use Instagram just the the same as you always have, but now on the upper portion of your screen, you'll have an icon bar that will bring you to a the new function: stories. There you can create your own stories and edit them with text and emojis and doodling, and you can also check out your friend's stories.

This whole new world of stories is neatly tucked away from the Instagram we all know and love so no need to have a mental break down over the changes. Stories won't take away from your experience, they'll only make it better, and more fun.

Personally, I've always struggled with the desire to post lots of pictures on a particularly eventful day — it's so hard to pick just one and the fear of losing followers do to an over-post is just too real. Stories will help to bridge that gap between using Instagram for personal branding and using it for photo sharing. Stories also encourage you to be creative and imaginative with narratives. It's a whole new level of self expression that goes so far beyond simple photo and caption sharing. Here's an overview of the new feature:

Also similar to the stories feature we use on Snapchat, the Instagram Stories feature doesn't allow public feedback. Some people will love this because it eliminates the possibility of negativity and the stress of a scoring system — only you will be able to see how any views you've received and by whom. Other people might be bummed that you can't heart what you love, but you can always direct message the poster and share your thoughts there — so long as you allow direct messaging in your settings.

Image: Instagram