Instagram is hoping to encourage more posting on the platform by letting users do what Facebook has already done for years: post many photos or videos all at once.
Today, the app will begin letting users upload as many as 10 pieces of content into the same post. Using the ‘carousel’ feature, the swipeable format will let users forego the frustration of deciding which photo they should share. It could also help save their friends from suffering through a rapid fire additions in their feed.
“With this update, you no longer have to choose the single best photo or video from an experience you want to remember,” Instagram wrote in a blog post announcing the news.
For marketers, Carousels are nothing new. Since 2015, advertisers have been able to add as many as six photos to an Instagram ad. In May, the company added video capabilities for Carousel as well. With the latest round of updates, brands will also be able to up their number to 10 pieces of content at once.
To help viewers notice which posts have more than one photo or video, Instagram will add a blue dot at the bottom of a multi-piece post to indicate there’s more to see.
Users will see a new icon for selecting the new number of photos and videos, along with adding filters that can be applied to them collectively or separately. However, posts will only have a single caption “for now” and will only be square “for now.” (A sign of things to come?)
