Instagram reveals mixed results from its experiment hiding 'likes,' and will now test letting users decide whether to keep them

• Instagram is testing the option to allow users to either see or hide "likes."
• Users can decide if they want to remove all likes, hide likes on their own posts, or make no change.
• Instagram began testing the removal of likes in 2019 and accidentally rolled this feature out again in March.

Instagram is now testing the option to allow users to decide if they want to see or hide "likes."

Some users prefer not seeing the like count due to decreased social media pressure, while others want to see what's been a hit on the app, according to feedback from Instagram's previous tests. Now, the social media platform is using these differences in viewpoints to test the option for users to decide whether they want to see or remove the like tally. If the user opts for the latter, they'll be able to either hide all like counts across the platform, or hide likes on their own posts.

The social media giant first began exploring the removal of likes in 2019 via a test on users across seven countries, including Canada, Australia, and Japan. According to a spokesperson at Facebook, Instagram's parent company, this was done to see whether the hiding of likes could "lessen some pressure when posting" to the app.

Read more: Instagram is testing removing public 'like' counts and influencers say it would be good for the industry. Here's why.

Instagram saw "positive feedback" during this testing stage, although the concept also received some backlash from celebrities and influencers.

"We're testing this because we want Instagram to be a place where people feel comfortable expressing themselves," a Facebook spokesperson told Insider in 2019. "This includes helping people to focus on the photos and videos they share, not how many likes they get."

In March, Instagram again removed the like count for some users. But this time, it was an accident caused by a bug.

The removal of likes and reactions is also being tested on Facebook, according to the spokesperson. Like Instagram, Facebook began testing this in 2019.