Facebook, Instagram users to be able to hide 'like' counts

SAN FRANCISO: If you post a photo to social media and you don't know how many people liked it, did you really post it?

Instagram and Facebook users can now find out. Beginning Wednesday, those on both services will be able to hide the numbers that show how many people liked their posts and photos.

Instagram began hiding likes in 2019 as part of an effort to make people's time on the app less stressful and depressing. While many users welcomed the feature, others, including some influencers, worried it might take away from the social media experience. At the time, the platform didn’t give users a choice to hide or unhide the like counts, which didn't sit well with some users.

Now, after a test the company announced last month, users will be able to flip a switch that hides public like counts. Instead of a number telling you how many people liked your latest puppy photo, you'll see “liked by Beyoncé and others" (if Beyoncé and others did, in fact, like your photo).

To hide like counts on Instagram, you can go to your settings and click on the “posts" section. If you choose to turn off like counts here, it will apply to all your posts. In addition, you will also be able to hide the counts for individual posts before you share them.

You can also choose to hide like counts before sharing a post. You can turn this setting on or off, even after it goes live.

The feature will be available to Instagram users beginning on Wednesday and to Facebook users in the coming weeks.