Instagram loves to secretly test new features on some of its users and get feedback before making the decision to roll them out to everyone.
But in recent weeks, the company added a new commenting feature that you won't be able to see unless you watch a post for more than five seconds.
Before trying this, make sure you have updated the app to the latest version.
Once you do, go to Instagram and go to a post. Wait five seconds and you'll see a box that says, "Add a comment..."
Instagram confirmed that it had been secretly enabling this feature for the past few weeks. A company spokesperson said that smaller feature updates are not always announced.
The feature is indeed small, but it's clear that the app is now pushing users to make comments, in an effort to drive greater engagement with commenting.
It's common for posts on Instagram to go largely uncommented. Many users like posts and archive them in collections, but commenting on Instagram (especially on a very popular account with hundreds or thousands of comments) may feel like a waste of time.
This feature can make commenting on posts more engaging.
