Meta-owned Instagram is extending its Close Friends feature, traditionally confined to Stories and Notes, to encompass feed posts and Reels.

This evolution aims to grant users greater control over their content’s audience, allowing them to share with a smaller, trusted circle rather than their entire follower base, IANS reported from San Francisco.

The platform highlighted Close Friends as a stress-free zone for connecting with the most meaningful individuals in one’s social circle.

By expanding this feature’s scope to encompass Reels and feed posts, Instagram developers aim to offer users “more ways to be your most authentic self” while exercising increased control over content visibility.

Sharing a post or Reel exclusively with Close Friends is a straightforward process. Upon creating a post or Reel, users can tap the Audience button, opt for Close Friends, and then share the content. These designated posts or Reels will bear a distinctive green star label, signifying their visibility solely to individuals on the Close Friends list.

To accentuate this expansion, Instagram has replaced the familiar plus button with a green star icon, simplifying access to this feature within the app.