Instagram says the feature is all about removing the “pressure” of posting content for likes, putting user focus back on the images themselves rather than their perceived popularity. This seems like the company’s way to battle the platform’s negative aspects, as studies have linked Instagram to mental health issues.
Also read: How to use Instagram on Android
QUICK ANSWER
Hide likes on Instagram by opening the app and going into your profile image. Open the photo you want to hide likes for and tap on the three-dot menu button. Select Hide Like Count.
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Editor’s note: These steps were put together using a Google Pixel 4a with 5G running Android 12. Keep in mind steps may differ depending on your hardware and software.
How to hide likes on your Instagram posts
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Hiding your Instagram likes is a pretty straightforward process now. Here’s what you have to do.
- Open your Instagram app.
- Sign in if you haven’t.
- Tap on your profile image to see your profile.
- Open the image you want to hide likes for.
- Press the three-dot menu button on the top-right corner.
- Select Hide Like Count.
Reverting this procedure takes the same steps. The only difference is that you select Unhide Like Count at the end.
Also: Top Instagram marketing tips to boost your brand
How to hide likes on others’ posts
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Another cool feature Instagram has implemented is the ability to hide like counts on other people’s posts. You can do this easily if you’re not into that kind of data.
- Open your Instagram app.
- Sign in if you haven’t.
- Tap your profile image to see your profile.
- Select the three-line menu button.
- Go to Settings.
- Hit Privacy.
- Tap Posts.
- Toggle on the Hide Like and View Counts option.
Instagram believes removing like counts reduces the stress and pressure on its ecosystem and users.
Hiding like counts isn’t expected to be a widespread standard across the platform, as far as we know.
Yes. All this information is still stored in the backend, and you can look into your stats on the Insights page.
No. Likes and other factors will help the algorithm determine which posts to prioritize. Whether people can see like counts or not doesn’t matter.
