Instagram’s New Group Profiles Are Like Secret, Members-Only Accounts

There are few spaces in the online world as sacred as a group chat. It’s where many people share their good news first or get a second opinion on an anti-ghost text before hitting send. Similar to the intimacy of a group text is the exclusivity of a private Snapchat Story or the Instagram Close Friends list, and now a new way to connect with your inner circle is coming to Instagram. Introducing Group Profiles, a feature that is set to roll out soon according to a Dec. 13 release from Meta.

Instagram has added plenty of ways to collaborate with other users on the platform over the years. From soft tagging your friends so they can repost your story to joint posting a photo, using Instagram can be a team sport if you want it to be. Group Profiles will make that even easier to do, and here’s everything you should know about the future Instagram update.

What Is A Group Profile On Instagram?

A Group Profile will make it possible to share posts and stories with only a select number of friends — it’s different than a Close Friends list because this exclusive content will be posted on a profile rather than in the Stories feed. When you’re a part of a Group Profile, you can add content to it that can only be seen by other members of the group, so what you add is unviewable to the rest of your followers and isn’t posted anywhere on your personal account.

How To Create A New Group Profile

When Group Profiles become available to all Instagram users, you’ll be able to create a new one by first going to your personal profile in the bottom right corner where you see a mini icon of your profile photo. Once there, in the top right corner, you can press the plus sign (+) button. This button prompts you to create Reels, Posts, Stories, and more right now, but will ultimately include a Group Profile button as well. When you create the profile, you can pick and choose what friends you want to join and get to posting.

This feature is not yet available to all Instagram users, but the Dec. 13 announcement from Meta guarantees it’s coming soon. That could mean ASAP or sometime in 2023, so it’s good to keep an eye out for any changes within the app. Until then, you can start narrowing down who of your IRL besties will make the cut for your Group Profile. Choose wisely.