No more swipe-ups: Instagram will soon introduce a sticker in Stories for users to add links

Instagram is set to add a new sticker to its Stories section, which will let users add links to Stories, thus replacing the swipe-up linking option that enables users to redirect their followers to an external webpage, and has been around for a few years now.

Instagram stories link sticker to launch soon

The new sticker for Instagram Stories is expected to be introduced starting 30 August. Users who currently have access to the swipe-up functionality will be able to start accessing the stickers to add links to their stories. This information was spotted by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong. However, Instagram is yet to release official details on this.

IG said the swipe up links will go away starting from Aug 30 and that I should use the “link sticker”

… but I searched my Stories Sticker sheet and I’m not seeing the link sticker at all (not rolled out to me).

Does that mean I’ll lose the ability to add links to my Stories?

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) August 23, 2021

Instagram business accounts and creators who have a verified account or meet an acceptable follower count threshold (understood to be more than 10,000 followers) will get the feature. However, there’s no word on if the feature will be available for the general audience as well. That said, there is a chance that Instagram might extend the feature to more users. To do that, it will have to ensure that ability to add links is not misused to spread spam, misinformation or anything objectionable. The link sticker will be available in addition to several existing stickers such as poll, music, caption, location, GIFs, and more. Much like they can with other stickers, users will be able to make changes to the link sticker and change the way it appears in a story. Users will also be able to reply or react to stories that have links. Swipe-up links are also available on Facebook and even on Snapchat.