Instagram is releasing its Archive feature to all users today, after testing it with a smaller group of people last month.
The feature lets anyone on Instagram hide their old posts without deleting them. If you go into the “…” menu on a photo, where you’d normally see options like edit and delete, there’ll now be an option to archive the image placed right on top. Hitting that button will send the photo to a private gallery — your archive — where only you can see it.
Instagram seems to be hoping that the archive will both stop people from deleting their photos and make people more comfortable with sharing certain photos in the first place. Some of its users — and some teenagers, especially — have a habit of deleting pictures that don’t garner enough likes or that feel too personal later on. The archive won’t necessarily stop that behavior, but it’ll at least keep the pictures around for later viewing.
There’s also a way to send photos from the archive back to your profile, where they’ll appear in their original chronological location. Instagram doesn’t notify others of your archiving and unarchiving habits at all, so you’re able to move things in and out as much as you’d like.
When it hits your account, you’ll be able to access the archive from a little rewind-style button in the top right corner of your profile in the app.
Source: The Verge