Instagram is finally testing a 'regram' button among other new features (FB)

Instagram

Instagram is testing a bunch of new features on its mobile apps.
These include a regram button, a new beta testing program, a tighter integration with other services, and more.

Instagram is testing a number of new features that might be rolled out over the coming weeks and months, as first reported by The Next Web.

The most interesting one is probably the official "regram" button, which should work like retweets on Twitter or reblogs on Tumblr.

When someone you follow regrams a post (even a post of someone you don't follow), you should see it appearing in your timeline, with an indicator telling you who regrammed it. Vice versa, when you regram something, it should show up in your followers' timeline. It's a big improvement for users who have had to use manual workarounds or third-party apps to regram photos.

Instagram regram button

GIFs are apparently coming to stories, too.

The Next Web is reporting that Instagram is sourcing images from Giphy, although the animated images seem to be mostly text-based and cartoonish. Giphy is also the default GIF service for Twitter and Slack.

And Instagram seems to be testing a beta version of its app for iOS.

Android has had one for quite some time, but it looks like (select) iPhone users will be in for the fun some time soon, too.

Users will apparently have a chance to archive their Instagram Stories as well, which normally disappear after 24 hours.

The mechanism behind the new archive feature is pretty straightforward; you can already save the pictures and videos you upload to Instagram's Stories on your phone's camera roll before they disappear. The new archive feature would allow you to store them in app (in the cloud), perhaps with some sort of time machine option to make memories resurface some time later.

Instagram might borrow some features from Facebook

Another new feature is the "Close Friends" list, which reportedly allows you to send stories to just a group of few, select friends as opposed to your entire followers' list, without having to manually select those friends each time one by one. Facebook has a similar filtering options for posts.

Instagram is also looking into better integrating its product with another Facebook-owned service, WhatsApp.

A new "Share to WhatsApp" feature will allow users to share posts on the popular messaging service with a native integration option, without having to rely on screenshots or other workarounds.

Instagram users will also be able to follow hashtags, other than people, to see interesting posts from a specific place or event and have them all collated in the same place.

Another addition will let users pin conversations with specific people, so to have them right at the top of the list independently of when the last message in the conversation was sent.

Last but not least is also a mysterious "add coffee" option.

It will appear when you are sharing a post on your feed, but it's not clear what it's supposed to do.

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