Instagram and Facebook let users hide like counts

You're now in control over like counts on Instagram.

The platform was updated on Wednesday to give users more control over who sees the number of likes and views on a post. Now, everyone has the option to hide like counts on all posts in their feed. Users can also hide the like counts on their own posts, which means that other people won't be able to see how many likes your posts get.

"This way, if you like, you can focus on the photos and videos being shared, instead of how many likes posts get," Instagram wrote in the announcement.

To hide like counts on others' posts, go to your profile and click the three lines on the top right. Then, go to your settings, search "posts" and click Hide Like and View Counts. You can turn off the ability to view like counts on your own posts by clicking the three dots on the top right corner above a photo and clicking Hide Like Count.

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Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said in a post on Wednesdaymorning that similar features are also rolling out across Facebook.

"You might've seen that we’ve been testing different options for a while and this update reflects the feedback we’ve gotten," Mosseri wrote. "We want you to feel good about the time you spend on our apps and this is a way to give you more control over your experience."

This comes after the platform tested hiding like counts in an attempt to see if it would make the experience more enjoyable for users.

Facebook, which owns Instagram, found that"not seeing like counts was beneficial for some and annoying to others, particularly because people use like counts to get a sense of what’s trending or popular, so we’re giving you the choice."

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