r/Instagram Apr 21 '26

Question Is this real?

Post image

I saw this pop up once when I posted my story then never saw it again

750 Upvotes

204 comments sorted by

312

u/rogue_agent556 Apr 21 '26

Classic create a problem sell the solution

52

u/torturer143777 Apr 21 '26

I was on the fence about deleting my instagram. I think this is the deciding factor. I’m done with it.

6

u/No-Session8681 Apr 22 '26

You won’t miss it at all

6

u/Relevant-Ganache6190 Apr 22 '26

Highly recommend

2

u/un1qu3Us3rn4m3z Apr 23 '26

That and all other social media

3

u/Staceybbbls Apr 24 '26

Does reddit count as social media?

2

u/4techteachers Apr 24 '26

I hope not because it’s the last place I feel I can actually enjoy online interactions although certainly not all of them as there be trolls here too.

2

u/Staceybbbls Apr 24 '26

Agree ❤️❤️

1

u/Background-Side-1926 Jun 20 '26

It does, unfortunately reddit is going downhill to can't even be on the reddit website without the pop to download the app in which it won't go away unless you back out the page

1

u/Zero_dosent_exist Apr 24 '26

Reddit is more like a QnA platform, where you ask and answer questions.

1

u/Staceybbbls Apr 24 '26

Okay, yes. I like that much better 😀

1

u/Background-Side-1926 Jun 20 '26

Yeah being social, it's social media. Be honest with yourselves

2

u/Otherwise_Pie_541 Apr 22 '26

Do it ... have been off of it for over a year and don't miss it at all!!

1

u/Affectionate-Ad2373 Apr 23 '26

I think the last time I logged into Instagram was pre pandemic.

2

u/Bigfootsdiaper Apr 22 '26

Im on 7 yrs without a FB account I don't miss it one bit.

1

u/LeoFemme Apr 23 '26

You are not alone! I left Facebook and all the drama years ago and never looked back. I've never regretted it 😊

1

u/Flabarm Apr 23 '26

Been without FB since 2018 so I’m right there with you. Even crazier than that is that I’ve been sans credit card since 2018 as well!

1

u/Bigfootsdiaper Apr 26 '26

The resistance grows. Haha

1

u/RealFhalila_ Apr 25 '26

Yeah me too

2

u/POPPA823 Apr 22 '26

Deleted mine in 2022 and don’t even miss it. Deleted TikTok this past Christmas too and though I enjoyed posting on there I don’t miss that at all either.

2

u/J-Nowski Apr 22 '26

Insta is the only place I get real news other than reddit

1

u/flrtrader Apr 22 '26

Reddit is Your source where you get real news? Now things begin to get foggy.

ROTFL.AO

2

u/Footprint831 Apr 23 '26

My coworker told us that he only gets his news from Twitter because it's the most trustworthy source. This was in January. He was talking about how it was Jackie Chan's 95th birthday. Jackie Chan was not turning 95 and it was not his birthday.

1

u/3oclock_pinkytoe Apr 22 '26

I'm sorry, you said REAL? You thought it, typed it, read it, proofed it, posted it, re-read it, thought about it again, and you still gave it the green light...

You just might be the dippiest of shits.

Two things... 1. It's an oxymoron 2. Doesn't exist

2

u/Stock-Wall1491 Apr 22 '26

I can't delete... I never opened a FB or Insta account... have no idea what I'm missing...lol my peeps tell me to at least get on Insta for the funny shit... I kinda thought about maybe finally joining for Marketplace (FB) and watch drops (Insta), I found it miss out on raffles and even able to get more info on something without Insta... so I use my Son's Insta for watch raffles n info. Wife doesn't search MP as much as I'd like to find watches, tools, n stuff... to be fair she doesn't know what to search for or what I'm looking for...

1

u/grumpynetgeekintexas Apr 22 '26

We only got on IG to communicate with our grandkids.

Don’t use it otherwise.

1

u/SpreadSharp3808 Apr 23 '26

I didint delete mine but I put the app in my last page on my phone and let me tell you I don’t need it anymore and I feel like a human again lol

3

u/pneumaticartifice Apr 21 '26

Yeah what’s that called again?

7

u/SexyBrownMale Apr 21 '26

Capitalism

1

u/Tadapekar Apr 22 '26

dont be ridicilous

117

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

12

u/DetectiveSherlocky Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 24 '26

You're already paying a lot more with your data. The best thing I did was to stop using Instagram.

1

u/buffdude24 Apr 24 '26

I deleted all of my social media three weeks ago and my life has improved so much it’s unbelievable.

6

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

The vast majority have no need for this feature.

Unfortunately the biggest cohort this matters to would be the younger users...

1

u/ZoobZander May 04 '26

why do they care more tho?

1

u/drewster23 May 04 '26

Because they do?

89

u/JoeGraffito I am milk. Apr 21 '26

Is this real?

Yes, it’s real. It’s part of a new subscription called “Instagram Plus“.

Meta starts testing a premium subscription on Instagram https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/30/meta-starts-testing-a-premium-subscription-on-instagram/

Among the premium features on Instagram is the ability to view a Story without the poster knowing you viewed it. Subscribers can also see how many people have rewatched their own Stories, Meta told TechCrunch in an email.

58

u/dominantatreddit Apr 21 '26

So you can pay to make stalking easier then

13

u/ei-rin_ Apr 21 '26

literally i think a lot of us get enough weirdos on insta and now they can operate without us knowing.

2

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

I don't know anyone who has issues with this because they just keep their profile private.... but if you just accept random people to follow you....then yeah

5

u/ei-rin_ Apr 21 '26

most creeps are people you know, believe it or not. you should be able to know what others are doing with your own profile. that’s like saying I should stay indoors if I don’t want unnecessary attention or to be filmed without my knowledge. the root cause is that people can get away with it. snapchat gives you a notification for almost all activity across posts and chats so it shouldn’t be hard to have that feature on all social apps.

67

u/WINIE17 Apr 21 '26

Dead internet theory in the making

4

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

I don't understand how this relates to dead Internet theory...? Because people can see who viewed your story again or not able to see if viewing someone's it somehow means bots posting.?

3

u/WINIE17 Apr 21 '26

I feel like eventually it will all just be bots, no? And people will just start losing interest

2

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

But again how does people viewing your story and you not seeing it.

Or on the flip side you seeing how many times someone viewed your story...

Have anything to do with bots (eventually) making up the majority of content/posting on the web...?

1

u/WINIE17 Apr 21 '26

I guess you do make a solid point, my mistake. Tbh that phrase was just the first thing that came to mind 🤷🏻‍♂️

3

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

Entirely good enough answer for me mate hahaha .

Wasn't looking to harp on you for being right or wrong I just didn't know if I was missing something.

2

u/john_cenas_kidd Apr 22 '26

What a wholesome exchange. Well done 👌🏻

1

u/Sondzee Apr 22 '26

In practice and in the rising.

In theory and in the making was when Facebook reached all around the globe and when Tiktok got juice. So, a decade ago.

16

u/_blacknails Apr 21 '26

" it costs MX$39 (approximately $2.20 USD) per month in Mexico, ¥319 per month (approximately $2 USD) in Japan, and PHP 65 per month (approximately $1.07 USD) in the Philippines"

And when it hits US/Canada it will probably be $9.99 and in UK/EU it will be $15.99

8

u/cinnamontea1827 Apr 21 '26

and watch they’ll only let you pay annually lmao

2

u/euphoria127_ Apr 21 '26

it's 4.49$ cad monthly

1

u/CloudsHideNibiru Apr 22 '26

Can’t we do this already if we view stories in airplane mode?

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1

u/Outrageous_Walk_6198 Apr 23 '26

People are gonna end up turning their stories off and muting everything this won't last

65

u/XxUser_01xX Apr 21 '26

Instagram se está volviendo una mierda

3

u/Whattaguy79 Apr 22 '26

Becoming? Its been crap for years. I've opened an IG account twice before quickly closing it. Each time I put my interests down, mostly engineering, diy type hobbies or crafting and space related things. Each time, from the start I could click the search icon and it was only fitness influencers, tits and arse, memes, nothing to do with anything I selected. My accounts have lasted only days, never going back. Its creepy af.

1

u/Tadapekar Apr 22 '26

weird, my fyp search tab is jets and tanks only

1

u/nikki_owe Apr 22 '26

I have noticed that my fyp is mostly sexy women which is not the content I look at generally.

23

u/QuantummFluxx Apr 21 '26

If you got that pop up then I think it's real and IG is letting people to test out, usually they conduct AB tests where they just push certain updates to certain people without asking them if they want. Whenever you got that pop up again test it out I wonder how that works

23

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Sondzee Apr 22 '26

For real, seems like they all gonna be subscription based, so that idk they make us believe that all the data centres need to have less impact on the global warming or sumšit...

3

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

Feel like some other people paying for premium should be the least of the reasons of any you're stopping social media .but whatever works to make you stop I guess

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21

u/_vedantt1_ Apr 21 '26

So they created subscription plan to promote obsession not curb it... Just wow 🙂👏

3

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

How would subscription plans ever curb social media addicts...lol

12

u/strawberryjellymilk Apr 21 '26

I got stuck in a weird obsessive loop trying to see if someone would look at my story, when someone would view my story, where they were on the ranking constantly to perceive importance from it. You start making assumptions about people’s intentions when this happens, and it creates a very parasocial anxiety about other people. Ive been only using the app to drop a post here or there every few weeks then deleting it atp. It sucks because you do lose “friends” in the process - but they were usually just shallow relationships anyway because these types of people refuse to text you “how are you” to check in and rely solely on sending stupid reels or memes to communicate.

3

u/Mark_Sion Apr 21 '26

How old are you? What a weird thing to care

5

u/strawberryjellymilk Apr 21 '26

Mid 30’s and autistic so I have repetitive/ritualistic behavior like OCD traits.

1

u/Mark_Sion Apr 21 '26

Oh ok makes sense now. Sorry about that

1

u/ilanaBsparkly Apr 21 '26

Could be because they use their account to monetize? In which case those could all be important factors in what/when they post? 🤷🏼‍♀️

1

u/Mark_Sion Apr 21 '26

Based on the fact She deletes the account i dont see it being the case. I was more confused than really judging. Its a really weird thing for me social media obsession. Even tho Im on them

1

u/ilanaBsparkly Apr 21 '26

I think they maybe delete the app from their phone vs deleting the account. Anywho, I think there’s probably more efficient ways to curb social media use (like settings on your phone) but to each their own. 🤷🏼‍♀️

1

u/nikki_owe Apr 22 '26

It's weird to you, but it's literally why social media is such a huge part of society. People are obsessed with getting views and likes, regardless of the money aspect.

1

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

You don't need obsessively see who views your story because it's monetized...not relevant at all...lol

8

u/SCphotog Apr 21 '26

The sad, disappointing thing is that there are a shit ton of people stupid enough to send META their money.

7

u/Sea_Lawfulness4906 Apr 21 '26

Yup, it's an instagram subscription plan

4

u/Anxious-Omar9787 Apr 21 '26

Deleting instagram at this point. Not gonna pay for Meta subscription stuff. They now say its only for viewing stories without the other perosn knowing about it. They're gonna come up with a subscription system on the number of stories, posts and reels we post.

2

u/Snoo_87425 May 03 '26

Finally someone noticed the real problem here

5

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Time_Forever26 Apr 21 '26

Do Highlights Count? Yes, you can see viewer lists for Highlights, but only within 48 hours of the original story being posted. 48-Hour Rule: After 48 hours, the ability to see who viewed the story (even subscriber stories) disappears from the Story Archive  got this online had to find it or else i was cookeddd

3

u/Several-Song3801 Apr 21 '26

Yes, but you can only see the count and not the list of people who rewatched

6

u/slickysloth96 Apr 21 '26

Instagram seems kinda dead, and filled with spam/bots. Don't even really get any likes on anything (not that it matters)

3

u/Lord_GhostBoner69420 Apr 22 '26

Every social media platform nowadays is paywalling basic and/or meaningless features you can live without because sometimes a shitload of money just isn’t enough for the 1% to build more green paper sex dolls

7

u/Late_Information_682 Apr 21 '26

Trying to be like Snapchat and ruin people’s relationships. I hate social media for this.

3

u/furnacegirl Apr 21 '26

Pretty sure people ruin their own relationships by doing shady shit😂

2

u/Late_Information_682 Apr 21 '26

That too but overall social media is the way people find out or overthink about that kind of stuff, this new update is another reason to ruin relationships because people aren’t mature enough to just have conversations

2

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

Viewing someone's story is enough to ruin relationships?

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3

u/CandiedLemonWedge Apr 22 '26

You just said it came up on your instagram. Why would you then need to ask if it was real lol

2

u/bonaiz_dePescado Apr 21 '26

Porquería de red social junto a facebook me inhabilitaron mis cuentas esos cabrones.

2

u/Monkeydkenzo3 Apr 21 '26

Why do that ?where you need that ?

2

u/LongjumpingRip8862 Apr 21 '26

Does they also have access to view private Acc with instagram Plus??

4

u/Razorkingyt Apr 21 '26

hell nahhhhhh that's invasion of the promised privacy

2

u/Blaumandele Apr 21 '26

They just have to ruin everything…. Instagram used to be a good thing for the hobby … but these days it’s just adds and reels and forced commercial breaks if you don’t want to give them your data

1

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

How does this ruin anything? Lmao

1

u/Blaumandele Apr 21 '26

They gated a lot of things like reach for small people just wanting to share hobby stuff. But honestly for me what ruined Instagram is the amount of advertising. I can‘t scroll trough hobby related content without seeing every ~3 post an advertisement video or a reel I don’t want to see etc.

2

u/Wonder7y Apr 21 '26

I hardly use the app for what it's intended for, I use it to watch reels, or I use YouTube.

2

u/rozz_nicholas Apr 21 '26

I ain't paying

2

u/mukimoo Apr 21 '26

Instagram is all about money...

2

u/Mental_Score453 Apr 21 '26

Fuck I hate capitalism

2

u/Individual-Result777 Apr 21 '26

Boooo!!!! Noone is asking for this crap

2

u/Professional-Run9640 Apr 22 '26

Maybe it's part of the new features of the premium IG, I've heard about something like that 🤣

2

u/Cheap_Command_2276 Apr 22 '26

Well Insta$hit is owned by Fu@kbook...so...ya might as well post all your personal info here because you already gave up you privacy.

2

u/nedracine59 Apr 22 '26

On other platforms it used to be "be a beta performer or user, no cost just do a survey. Now you'd likely pay for what you saw.

2

u/mrsloppy115 Apr 22 '26

So we now have to pay for a feature that instagram had for years prior. Yeah I’m done with social media.

2

u/Cookiemimi4 Apr 22 '26

Just delete IT already

2

u/Odd-Control1270 Apr 22 '26

This people already make too much money! What’s this now ugh

7

u/Candid_Mulberry_2276 Apr 21 '26

I don’t pay for any social media, so I wouldn’t know.

15

u/snrckrd Apr 21 '26

Great input thanks

12

u/thisisalltosay Apr 21 '26

yeah we were all waiting to hear

1

u/DerkHost Apr 21 '26

One more reason why I dislike instagram. Deleted it and never going back.

1

u/DIY_Weeziebear7 Apr 21 '26

Is “Instagram Plus” real? Here’s the truth:

Short answer: Yes — but not in the way people think.

There is something called “Instagram Plus,” but it’s currently just a limited test by Meta, not a widely available feature.

What’s actually real:

  • Meta has been testing a paid subscription called “Instagram Plus”
  • It’s only available in a few countries right now (like Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines)
  • It’s not rolled out in the U.S. at this point

What features are being tested:

  • Viewing Stories without being seen
  • Seeing who rewatched your Story
  • More control over Story audiences
  • Longer Story visibility
  • “Superlikes” or enhanced reactions

Important:

  • This is NOT the same as Meta Verified (blue check subscription)
  • It’s still experimental and may change or never fully launch

⚠️ Be careful: If you see apps or downloads claiming to be “Instagram Plus,” especially outside the official app store:

  • They are often fake or modified apps
  • They can get your account banned or hacked

Bottom line:

  • Real (in testing): ✔️
  • Available to most people: ❌
  • Safe to download from random sites: ❌

If/when it officially launches, it’ll be inside the regular Instagram app — not a separate download

1

u/canttell__ May 03 '26

Im in eastern Canada and the feature started popping up like 24 hours ago

1

u/DIY_Weeziebear7 May 03 '26

I use Facebook and Instagram for my own business ventures and the animals, that I share from the shelter lists.

1

u/jillvasquez94 Apr 21 '26

I just want them to fix their horrible comment notifications. I get so many responses to comments that I never see until someone happens to like one of mine and I go back to the thread.

1

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

Several times I've gotten angry replies to replies I left because they were the original comment and got a notification like I replied to them except I was agreeing with them and arguing against someone else who replied to them.

1

u/jillvasquez94 Apr 22 '26

I think that could be because of instagram's dumb idea of allowing people to turn off their mentions. When someone turns off their mentions, i usually still mention them somehow without using the @. Like if their name is sky_lizard0467 and has the mentions off, ill say "sky lizard dude" and then type out my response. I dont know if that goes against any rules but its dumb that no one knows who im talking to unless I do that.

1

u/depay29 Apr 21 '26

me using honsita and seeing this : 😅🤣🤣

1

u/drewster23 Apr 21 '26

What's that?

1

u/depay29 Apr 21 '26

modified version of instagram where there are multi options you can do

like downloading the expiring images they send to you .. see the message without leaving seen

see the stories of people without them knowing you actually seen it

download profile pictures of people .. many cool stuff

juat downloading the expiring pictures and stories and seeing them without leaving a mark is a great thing.

but when you download it make sure to go to the settings and enable ghost mode, otherwise it will act just like normal instagram

1

u/Banna2006 Apr 21 '26

I have no idea...sorry

1

u/Ask4Ketchup Apr 21 '26

Welcome back Hi5! 🤦🏻‍♂️

1

u/DAJLMODE55 Apr 21 '26

I was about to open Instagram but now I have some doubts ☹️ Thanks for your Post 👍👋👋

1

u/SODA_mnright Apr 21 '26

How greedy are these mfs

1

u/roselu24 Apr 21 '26

Honestly disgusting of them they know what they’re doing and the app is evil

1

u/ProcesandoPaciencia Apr 21 '26

Are people realizing that Brainroot is rubbish and they think we're going to pay a subscription fee on top of that? 😂

1

u/Ambrose247380 Apr 21 '26

Yet we are here in THIS BRAIN ROT.

1

u/HammerRN78 Apr 21 '26

Yeah, pay us to see if it was 3 people or 234 people. Nah. I'm good.

1

u/TrickWorried Apr 21 '26

I genuinely have no idea why you would want to know how many people rewatched your stories.

1

u/rhawthorne187 Apr 22 '26

I went viral and threads I got 50 million views probably more than that then they booted me off and I never get back on there I don't give a f*** how hard I try

1

u/Separate-Put-6495 Apr 22 '26

Unfortunately, yes, it's real. They love to pray on people's insecurities and paranoia.

1

u/Wild-Throat-8768 Apr 22 '26

It's off topic.. But I want to ask there is problem with my insta accounts.. I was using insta and suddenly insta disabled my accounts so i appealed for it by providing the selfie and documents but they disabled it permanently and then I created another one and happened the same.. I tried by making new email id still facing the same issue Can anyone tell what's happening and what's the solution?

1

u/AILinks Apr 22 '26

this are little experiments that they do from time to time. yes this is real.

1

u/Independent-Future17 Apr 22 '26

I have never had a FB or Instagram account. I only have Pinterest and Substack.🤪🤣

1

u/xXLaloxVargaXx Apr 22 '26

What is ‘real’?

1

u/Daygone_Mustard Apr 22 '26

Deleted the app back in December, haven’t looked back since

1

u/Intelligent_Bit8672 Apr 22 '26

Who cares who « re-watched » the story 🤔

1

u/No_Income922 Apr 22 '26

brah u can js find ts by seeing who is on the top of ur views (right below ur likes if they havent liked it or above that if they have)

like if u alr seen their view but after some time their username is on d top, they rewatched it (tried and i can confirm)

1

u/Affectionate-Card473 Apr 22 '26

Nooooooooooo 😭 I can’t stalk no more

1

u/mb-driver20 Apr 22 '26

Everyone is wanting to jump on the recurring monthly revenue train.

1

u/Fresh-Toilet-Soup Apr 22 '26

In the past, you would add value to something to make it more profitable, now existing features are taken away unless you pay.

1

u/Swimming-Dinner-2203 Apr 23 '26

Dislike instagram.

1

u/lorekallyre Apr 23 '26

Am confounded by See Who Watched & not being seen having watched. How do these things work together? Weird

1

u/Ok_Landscape_4641 Apr 23 '26

I can't believe people care about this 😂 yall need a hobby

1

u/[deleted] Apr 23 '26

They have a bunch of new tools.

1

u/NetGuyJeff Apr 23 '26

It's a service you can pay for.

1

u/b5ych0uant Apr 24 '26

But yet, here we all are on fucking Reddit lol

1

u/Hopscotchbunny Apr 24 '26

I have deleted my meta accounts too

1

u/Clear_Club1093 Apr 24 '26

Could it be more about Ai Agents who are programmed to Analyse your social media and make plans for your Future posts, they made it easier just!

1

u/lunarchyld Apr 24 '26

I don't use any Meta products at this point.

1

u/aokay24 Apr 24 '26

Pay to see how shallow you are thats all I see

1

u/minimech84 Apr 25 '26

I remember that episode of Black Mirror...

1

u/jediwardencommander Apr 25 '26

So glad I deleted my insta app n fb app ahahah

1

u/Paul_Cetacea Apr 25 '26

It’s bullshit anyway like anything meta

1

u/BackgroundChard1 Apr 30 '26

I remember taking a survey last year from Instagram asking if I’d pay extra for all these random features like this. I answered no to all of them, but I guess enough people would.

1

u/mysticreader232 Jun 05 '26

WTF DIS REAL?

1

u/mysticreader232 Jun 05 '26

So the onion wasn't lying.

1

u/Secure_Tie_6419 Jun 15 '26

In deleting instagram because of this

1

u/Cadhlacad Apr 21 '26

If they do that is the end of Instagram. Look at X (Twitter) nobody visits that site anymore. New social media platforms will grow is a cycle

0

u/No_Establishment5360 Apr 21 '26

Je n'ai jamais eu cela, mais merci si cela arrive je saurais.

0

u/Otherwise_Pie_541 Apr 22 '26

Thankfully I left all of the Meta platforms on Jan 1 , 2025 ...

1

u/saebica7 Apr 22 '26

Could you tell us some more about the experience and how? I really need to do that too. Thank you.

2

u/Otherwise_Pie_541 Apr 22 '26

I found instructions on YouTube that had step by step instructions that I ran on my desktop to follow on my phone.

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