You can now leave comments on Instagram Stories—here's how

Public comments on Instagram Stories are here!

Previously, replies were only visible to the person who posted the Story. Now, you can show your support for your friends' Stories with comments, just like you would on a regular post. 

Once the Story expires in 24 hours, so will the comments. However, if you save the Story as a highlight, the comments are retained.

The feature is limited to those who are following each other on the app.

If you and your friend are following each other on Instagram, you will see a little comment icon on the bottom left side beside the usual "Send a message" textbox for DMs on Stories.

All you have to do is tap on the icon and type in your message. To give you an idea, Instagram shared a reel about the update.

Mind that everyone who watches your friends' Stories can see the comments, so be sure you're not posting something you don't want others to see!

If you don't want this feature, there's also the option to disable the comments on Stories. You could do so by fixing the settings located in the Comments tab > Story Comments.

In other news, Instagram also announced that it is introducing floating heart likes. Some likes on posts will now appear as floating hearts, just like on disappearing notes.

Earlier in the year, Instagram let users add temporary "Notes" on posts and Reels, and music to their profile.