Instagram in its iOS app has introduced a new feature that lets users share the same post from multiple accounts. The move will largely be embraced by content creators looking to increase their reach both on their personal and brand accounts.
The feature is gradually rolling out globally on iOS. According to the screenshot below, the post to multiple accounts functionality is available at the last stage of the post posting process. Users can then select the accounts that they want to publish their post from at the same time.
The photo-sharing app is also working on a feature that will allow users to re-share posts from other accounts to your own feed. While the feature could bring new life to the main feed, which is getting eclipsed by disappearing Stories, the rollout of re-post feature to the global user base could also invite in fake news and influential campaigns that the parent company Facebook has been working to curb since the criticism it received in the wake of the US presidential election.
The feature, internally called as 'seamless sharing', is designed to introduce a new 'share to feed' option into the '...' menu that appears on the top-right corner of every post in the feed. If rolled out, re-shared posts will appear in the feed below the username and photo of the user who shared it.
The photo-sharing app also has a proven history of rolling out features such as scheduled posting or multiple uploads to businesses first.
Instagram is full of great stuff and people do like to re-share content that they like. But, regramming has always been an issue of debate between the app founders Kevin Systrom (who has now left the company) and Mike Krieger, who wants the focus on the people you know rather than the people you know finding other stuff for you to see.
The company slightly lifted its ban on re-sharing last year, when it started allowing users to re-share public Stories in which their accounts are mentioned to their own Stories.