Instagram Plus

Instagram quietly dropped something pretty interesting this week — a paid subscription tier called Instagram Plus, and honestly it's got some features I didn't know I needed until I saw them.

The one that caught my eye first is Story Spotlight, which basically bumps your stories to the top for your friends. Combine that with Story Extend (stories that last 48 hours instead of 24) and Multiple Story Audiences (unlimited custom lists for who sees what), and it's a solid upgrade if you're the type who posts a lot and actually cares who sees it.

There's also Story Preview, which lets you peek at someone's story without registering as a viewer. If you've ever wanted that, well, here you go. On top of that, you get Story Rewatch Insights so you can see how many times your own stories were replayed, which is a nice little ego boost or a reality check depending on the day.

The customization stuff is fun too — you can swap out your app icon, change the font in your bio, pin up to 6 posts to your profile, and even post to your profile without it showing up in anyone's feed. That last one is genuinely useful if you want to keep your profile looking curated without spamming your followers.

Worth noting: the free version of Instagram isn't going anywhere. This is purely optional for people who want the extra bells and whistles. Instagram says more features are coming in the months ahead too, so it'll likely get more useful over time.

It's live globally starting June 4, 2026 — you can sign up right now.