Knowing how how to hide your likes on Instagram could come in handy for a number of reasons. If you're anything like me, concealing the fact that your posts can barely muster a handful of interactions outside of your immediate family would be the main one.
Whatever the reason, hiding your likes on Instagram is really easy, whether you choose to do it on a one of the best smartphones or on a tablet such as the Galaxy Tab S8.
Hiding likes on Instagram is a feature that was introduced quite recently, and it also hides the number of plays your videos have had. On the plus side, you can still see this information for yourself, and you can instantly revert this setting if you change your mind.
So, here's how to hide your likes on Instagram.
Note: The screenshots below were taken on an Android device, though the app layout is identical on iOS.
How to hide your Instagram likes
1. Open the Instagram app then tap your profile picture in the bottom-right to enter your profile page.
2. Tap the three lines in the top-right of your profile, then tap Settings.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)3. Tap Privacy to enter the privacy settings menu, then tap Posts.
4. Tap the toggle next to Hide like, play and view counts to hide your likes and plays from others. To undo this, simply tap the toggle again.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)Easy, hey? Now you know how to hide your Instagram likes, take a look at how to post on Instagram from PC or Mac, how to save photos from Instagram, or how to change your Instagram password or reset it.
If you want to buff up your power-user knowledge on other apps, get started with out guide on how to use the Spotify equalizer on iOS and Android, how to make Spotify louder and how to turn off read receipts on WhatsApp.
Instagram have been trialling this over the last few months to see what users think of the change, and now you can change it in your feed.
"Starting today, we're giving you the option to hide like counts on all posts in your feed. You'll also have the option to hide like counts on your own posts, so others can't see how many likes your posts get," Instagram revealed in a blog post.
"This way, if you like, you can focus on the photos and videos being shared, instead of how many likes posts get.
"We tested hiding like counts to see if it might depressurize people's experience on Instagram. What we heard from people and experts was that not seeing like counts was beneficial for some and annoying to others."
How to hide likes on Instagram
So, what do you need to do to hide likes on Instagram? We will explain below.
First, go onto your Instagram profile. From there, select the three black lines in the top right corner of the screen.
That should bring up a menu, where you will see 'Settings' at the top. This will take you to a new area.
At the top you should see a 'Search' bar. Click on that and type the word 'posts'. When you see the option pop up, click on it.
Finally, you can turn on 'Hide like and view counts' - it is the first option at the top of the screen.
How to hide likes on your Instagram posts
If you do not want people to see how many likes your post has, you have to follow a slightly different process.
First, go to the post you want to hide likes on. Then, tap the three dots in the top right, just above the photo. That will bring up a series of options - select 'Hide like count'. That's it.
As more research comes to light about the link between social media use and negative mental health outcomes in teens, some tech companies have made an effort to mitigate their products’ negative impacts.
Last year, Meta, formerly known as Facebook, announced that it would allow Facebook and Instagram users to hide like and view counts on their own and other users’ posts.
Meta had been testing the feature since 2019 before a wider roll-out last year. Not every user has access to the feature yet. But for those who do, here is how to hide your likes on Instagram on the Android and iOS apps.
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How to hide likes on your feed
- Tap on the menu bar in the upper right-hand corner of your profile page and select “Settings.”
- Go to “Privacy”
- Select “Posts”
- Toggle “Hide like and view counts” on or off.
How to hide likes on your own posts
In the last window before you publish a post, go to “Advanced settings” at the bottom. Here, you can toggle “Hide like and view counts for this post” on or off.
To turn on or off like counts for posts you’ve already published, go to the post and click on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner. You will have the option to “Hide Like Count.”