Share Music Directly from Instagram Notes and View Translations of Posts
After its public launch in December 2022, Instagram Notes is now receiving its first set of new features. Since its inception, Instagram Notes has allowed users to leave a status message that appears at the top of their inbox for their Close Friends or mutuals. However, with today’s update, Notes will also support music and translations.
Music Notes: A New Way to Express Yourself
Before, users’ Notes could only include text and emoji. However, with this new feature, they’ll be able to share a 30-second clip of a song as another way to express themselves. This is expected to allow people to share their moods, feelings, or just what favorite song they’ve been listening to lately.
To add to the shared clip, users can also include a caption to share their thoughts. The company says that the song clips will be supported in all markets worldwide where Instagram has music licensing rights.
Notes Translations: A New Feature for Global Users
The other new feature arriving with today’s update is Notes Translations. This feature simply allows users to tap a ‘See translation’ link below a note in a different language, which will then be translated into their own language. Instagram already supports translations across other areas of its app, such as Post descriptions, comments, and Reels.
This new feature is likely to be particularly useful for global users who may not speak the same language as their friends. By providing a translation option, Instagram Notes can help bridge the language gap between users from different regions.
The Purpose Behind Instagram Notes
During testing of Notes ahead of its launch last year, Meta found that users appreciated having a way to start conversations with friends in a lighthearted way. Similar to how Twitter prompts users to share ‘what’s happening?’ in its app, Instagram Notes asks users to ‘Share a thought…’. Users can then type out a Note with up to 60 characters of text or emoji, which appears at the top of friends’ inboxes for 24 hours.
Replies to Notes then come in through DMs (Direct Messages). Although Instagram Notes may not have received as much adoption as some other features on the platform, it has still allowed Meta to experiment with text-based updates ahead of the launch of its Twitter clone.
The Future of Instagram Notes
Although a bit under the radar, given the lack of adoption among certain friend groups, Instagram Notes has been allowing Meta to experiment with text-based updates. However, now that Instagram’s Twitter-like standalone and decentralized social app is being previewed to company employees, it’s unclear how its coming launch will ultimately impact user adoption or the company’s investment in the less prominent Instagram Notes feature.
Rollout of New Features
The new features will begin rolling out today across Instagram’s global install base. However, you may not see them immediately, as large-scale rollouts can take time.
What This Means for Users
With the addition of music and translation features to Instagram Notes, users now have more ways to express themselves and connect with friends on the platform. Whether it’s sharing a favorite song or having notes translated into their own language, these new features are expected to make Instagram Notes an even more engaging and interactive experience for users.
Conclusion
Instagram Notes has been a relatively under-the-radar feature since its launch last year. However, with today’s update, Notes is now getting some much-needed attention. The addition of music and translation features is likely to be particularly useful for global users who may not speak the same language as their friends.
As Instagram continues to evolve and add new features to its platform, it will be interesting to see how these updates impact user adoption and engagement. Whether Instagram Notes will eventually become a major player in the social media landscape remains to be seen. However, with this latest update, it’s clear that Meta is committed to making Instagram Notes a more robust and engaging feature for users worldwide.
