Instagram Adds Threaded Replies to Organize Comments Section Better

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, August 17, 2017

Instagram is making comments more of a conversation with its new comment threads. The new format, launched by the social media giant on Tuesday, Aug. 15, aims to help Instagram fans keep track of their comment exchanges with other users of the platform.

The new layout is Instagram's way of encouraging their users to talk about their favorite Instagram posts, as the company described their latest update on their press blog post. Hopefully, the changes will not only help make the comments section more readable for those looking for comment replies, but also invite readers to join in as well.

With the new update, comments now have their own reply link underneath them. Hitting reply under a comment and then posting a response will have that reply grouped right under the parent comment, starting a thread.

Before these changes, comments work more like a stack, where users tapping the reply button and posting their text will have their comment added on top. This arrangement, while simple and effective, made following threads and conversations dependent on the "@" feature, and still remains hard to browse when multiple conversations have started up over one Instagram post, as Digital Trends noted.

Facebook users will be right at home after these changes. Instagram's new parent company has had this kind of layout since 2012 when it included nested comments on its mobile apps in 2012.

For those unfamiliar with comments that use a threaded system, Instagram has also helpfully posted a guide about using the new reply features and about comment threading in general.

These changes for the comment layout and replies are just part of the updates coming with Instagram version 24 and beyond. The new versions of the Instagram app that includes comment threading can be found in the Apple App Store for iOS devices, and in the Google Play app for Android gadgets.

Users can expect to have this update in their hands as the new app version launches worldwide in the coming weeks.