Instagram Removes Notes From Feed Posts and Reels

Instagram is removing the option to add text notes to feed posts and Reels, as part of a broader effort to avoid overloading the app with too many features.

Instagram expanded notes to feed posts and Reels last July, after seeing success with notes in DMs, especially among younger users.

Optional Caption

Courtesy of Instagram

 

But they haven’t caught on, and rather than leaving them there, Instagram’s now opted to cut the feature entirely, in order to limit clutter in the app.

As explained by IG chief Adam Mosseri:

“We launched it a few months ago, in an effort to try to make Instagram more social and more fun, [but] in practice, it just wasn’t adopted by that many people. We know Instagram has become too complicated over the years, and one of the ways we want to address that is by being willing to turn off features that aren’t used by enough, or that many people. And content Notes is one of those features.”

So again, while notes will remain in DMs, you’ll soon lose the ability to add notes to feed posts and Reels, which provided another way to engage with your friends’ updates.

Mosseri says that Instagram’s going to continue to explore ways to make Instagram “fun and social”, while it’ll also look to cut more features that don’t catch on in a significant way.

Which is a good approach, as apps can get to bloated, and too overwhelming, especially for new users. And Instagram absolutely doesn’t need notes everywhere.

As I noted when this was originally announced:

“IG really wants to stay connected with young people if it can, so in that context, notes is super important. But for everyone else, I suspect the impact on your own interactions will be minimal.”

Again, notes has been a hit with younger users, but evidently, this extension of the option wasn’t a winner.

As such, the scaling back of notes makes sense.

Expect to see the option disappear from your in-app options shortly.