Instagram says it is running a small global test to let users toggle Like counts on or off on their own or others' posts; Facebook will run a similar test
Facebook and Instagram have been toying with hiding likes … Rachel Lerman / Washington Post : What's not to like? Instagram lets users hide ‘like’ counts on posts. Hansa Verma / BGR India : Instagram to let users choose if they want to hide ‘Likes’ on their posts Nadeem Sarwar / Pocketnow : Instagram will let users decide if they want to show or hide like counts Barbara Ortutay / ABC News : Users could soon hide ‘like’ counts on Instagram, Facebook Jasmine Gearie / TechRadar : Instagram like counts could soon return Kaelin Dickerson / Android Headlines : Hiding The Instagram Like Count Could Lead To Better Content Tweets: @mosseri : An update on like counts. Last year we started hiding like counts for a small group of people to see if it lessens some pressure when posting to Instagram. Some found this helpful and some still wanted to see like counts, in particular to track what's popular. @mosseri : So we're testing a new option that lets you decide the experience that's best for you - whether that's choosing not to see like counts on anyone else's posts, turning them off for your own posts, or keeping the original experience. @mosseri : We're testing this on Instagram to start and we're exploring a similar experience for Facebook too. More to share about this soon. Corinne Podger / @corinne_podger : Some good news for Insta users - actual *options* rather than one-size-fits-all solutions. Nice one, Adam! https://twitter.com/... Alessandro Paluzzi / @alex193a : #Instagram has also renamed the privacy “Tags” section to “Posts” and it will contain, in the next versions, the option to hide the like count in other people's posts you are mentioned in, probably 👀 https://twitter.com/... C. E. Eckhardt / @fullasmuchheart : As someone who uses Instagram to spread awareness for my small business I really need them to not take the like counts away completely. I have to observe engagement for practical reasons not just aesthetic ones. https://twitter.com/... Tama Leaver / @tamaleaver : Instagram's global like removal plan has mutated to giving ppl the option of whether they want to see like counts or not. TBH, I fear having that option really dilutes the usefulness in terms of easing peer pressure for younger users; they may well feel pressured to leave it on. https://twitter.com/... @gpanger : 11 years later ... boy does it take a long time for platforms to step an inch in the right direction. This is welcome news, though, for anyone who has felt like social media is just another popularity contest. https://twitter.com/... Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane : Back to Nosedive for those who want it I guess https://t.co/PhO89J4Egc Casey Newton / @caseynewton : There's an understandable aversion in tech companies to making everything a toggle — most people stick with defaults, complexity slows growth, etc — but it's the right solution for so many things. Including probably this one! https://www.theverge.com/... See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
Instagram’s latest test extends a path begun with its 2019 US Like-count trial, which followed experiments in several other countries. Facebook had already said it was considering removing Like counts, placing the two services on a shared product-policy track.
The related coverage later records full Like-count visibility controls on Facebook and Instagram, suggesting the test is part of a move from a uniform public metric toward per-user settings.
First-order effects
- Instagram users in the global test can choose whether Like totals appear on their own posts or on other people’s posts.
- Facebook is preparing a similar test, aligning its handling of a prominent engagement signal with Instagram’s.
Second-order effects
- Public Like totals become less consistent across Instagram feeds, so creators and viewers may encounter the same engagement metric under different visibility settings.
- Facebook’s comparable test puts both platforms’ product teams behind a common control model rather than a single mandatory decision to show or hide counts.
Third-order effects
- If this control model is retained, visible engagement metrics become a configurable part of the social experience rather than a fixed platform-wide ranking signal.
- The pattern points to platform governance through user-level settings: Facebook and Instagram can address concerns around public feedback without eliminating the metric for users who want it.
The trend: Social platforms are shifting prominent engagement signals from universal public defaults to user-controlled visibility settings.