Instagram is rolling out an update that will allow users to upload any video or picture from their library — regardless of whether it was taken within the past 24 hours. Previously, the workaround was to re-save, screenshot, or edit the metadata on the image or video so that it appears new in your library, tricking Instagram into thinking you’d just captured some fresh new content.
The fun of the disappearing story formats, pioneered by Snapchat, was how it made users feel like they’re following along a person’s day in real time, but since so many people (particularly celebrities and influencers) were finding ways around the 24-hour limit, Instagram has decided to get rid of the time restraint altogether. In case you don’t want to completely misinform your followers, however, Instagram will still offer stickers that let you stamp the date when the photo or video was originally taken to add as context.
The update follows a pattern of Instagram pushing to promote and embrace ephemeral sharing, as seen in the previous Archive tool, as more users begin to post temporary photos and / or purge their profiles to curate it as a personal homepage. Since Stories debuted on Instagram in August 2016, the app has seen a huge rate of growth, adding 200 million daily users as of September 2017. Snapchat’s growth, on the other hand, has slowed since the feature launched on Instagram. DAU growth has also flattened since Snap went public in February.