Instagram is replacing swipe up links with stickers
- Instagram has confirmed a change to sharing links on Stories, impacting how users link to other sites.
- The change will come into effect at the end of August.
- Swipe up links are being replaced with a sticker.
Instagram is discontinuing the swipe up link in stories by August 30th, it confirmed via in-app notifications on Monday.
Sharing links in stories won’t be removed completely. Instead, link stickers will replace the swipe functionality. This will allow users to set a link and place the sticker anywhere on their image. Viewers can then tap the sticker and open the webpage.
It appears that the change is designed to stop accidental mis-swipes. Stickers will display the website’s domain, providing a bit of clarity over where users will be redirected to.
This is how Instagram describes the sticker on its support page:
Enter the URL you want the sticker to link to. Tap See Preview below the link to see what the link will look like when someone opens it. Anyone who can see your story can tap the sticker to visit the link.
Apple Scoop understands that Instagram is considering rolling out the link sticker to all users in the future, but currently plans to make it available to those with over 10,000 followers.
It isn’t clear whether click-through rates and engagement to external sites will be affected by the removal of swipe-up links.
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Thank you for visiting Apple Scoop! As a dedicated independent news organization, we strive to deliver the latest updates and in-depth journalism on everything Apple. Have insights or thoughts to share? Drop a comment below—our team actively engages with and responds to our community.23rd August, 2021 at 1:34 pm by Ben W
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