Instagram May Finally Enable Reposts

If you have read No Filter, the book about Instagram, or just some Kevin Systrom’s interviews, you may remember that it has been a conscious policy by Instagram not to enable reposts, thus motivating users to post more original content. Now this staple seems unstable. According to the latest report, Instagram may enable reposts in its official app.

Not that previously Instagram completely refuses sharing other people’s posts. But users could only post them to their stories, meaning they would disappear in 24 hours if not saved as highlights, or send to each other via DM. Now Instagram reportedly tests the ability to repost public posts from other accounts on yours.

Frankly speaking, this feature has been demanded since the first days of Instagram. There are dozens of third-party apps that require access to your Instagram account just to be able to repost someone else’s photo or video. Usually, they left a watermark on the shared post or suggested users to subscribe, and not for free. If the rumors are true, their subscribers will all quit very soon.

It seems palatable, given that Instagram has already expanded its sharing options. The new update which rolls slowly enables you to share Instagram posts via WhatsApp, Messenger, or Snapchat. For Instagram, it makes sense as it uses third-party channels to expand its engagement. The habitual feature of sharing a post via DM is now behind all these. This update, though, is rolling out quite slowly.

As for the upcoming repost feature, it’s been spotted in the beta version for Android by Matt Navarra. Previously it was also noticed by Alessandro Paluzzi back in May, but then it was too far from being ready. Neither is it now: it will take some more time to test it with a small number of selected users.

What do you think about reposts on Instagram? Have you ever been reposting anything from other accounts? Did you use a third-party app for that or just made a screenshot? Share your opinion with us in the comments if you please!