Instagram Stories could be 60 seconds longer soon!

Instagram Stories could be getting longer soon! Currently, Instagram allows you to post stories for a maximum duration of 15 seconds. However, some users around the world are getting an experimental feature where they can load Stories of up to 60 seconds. Please note that this feature is experimental and Instagram has not officially announced it yet and has made it available to everyone around the world.

The longer version of Instagram Stories was first noticed by social media consultant Matt Navarra, who shared a screenshot of the banner seen in Turkey. Users will now be able to upload stories for up to 60 seconds in length. This is a big step up from the previous 15 seconds in length limiting them to several short-form stories.

Instagram Stories takes its name literally

As of now, the longest duration of Stories has only been seen in testing on Instagram. It remains to be seen if the 60-second format for Stories carries over to the other Meta-owned properties; namely WhatsApp and Facebook. Typically, a new feature on any of these platforms is often replicated on the others.

The longer duration of 60 seconds for Instagram Stories is good news for those posting long-form videos or monologues. Currently, stories that are longer than 15 seconds are automatically divided into 15-second segments as the following "story." At 60 seconds long, it could help content creators in a big way.

The longer duration of Instagram Stories could be an attempt to attract more users from rival services like Snapchat and TikTok. However, Instagram already has its Reels feature to take on TikTok's short-form videos, with a similar amount of AR filters and multimedia tools.

In related news, Instagram announced the shutdown of its Thread app a few weeks ago. The thread was supposed to take on Snapchat by allowing users to post and send Insta Stories without opening Instagram. Subsequently, the application merged direct messaging, allowing users to message directly.