Instagram continues to consolidate itself as one of the Most popular social networks worldwide, especially among young people. Thanks to its multiple features for interacting, sharing visual content, and creating lasting connections, the platform continues to introduce tools that improve privacy and personalization of the user experience. Among its most appreciated options is the Best friends, a tool that allows you to create a select circle of people to share stories and, more recently, reels exclusively. If you're wondering What Best Friends are and how to use them on InstagramIn this article, you'll find a complete, detailed, and up-to-date guide to making the most of this feature, increasing your privacy, and personalizing who sees your most personal content.
What is the Best Friends feature on Instagram?
The function Best friends Instagram allows users to create a custom and private list within the platform, to which you can add manually selected contacts. This list offers the possibility of sharing exclusive content, whether Stories or Reels, only with the people included in this group. That is, you can choose who sees your most personal posts without having to restrict general access to your profile or your followers.
Functionality arises from the need to maintain a certain level of privacy In an increasingly social and massive network, we don't always want to share everything with all our followers. This way, you can reserve your most intimate, fun, or exclusive moments only for those you consider truly trustworthy. Only you can view, edit, or delete your Best Friends list, and nobody receives notifications when it is added or removed from it, ensuring complete and discreet control.
Originally, this list was only available for sharing. Stories, but nowadays you can also use it to share Reels, thus adapting to new forms of expression and content consumption within the social network.
In addition to the privacy benefits, the Best Friends list helps you intelligently manage your reach of your posts, allowing you to precisely decide who can see certain stories or reels, while other followers will have no clue about this private content.
Advantages of creating a Best Friends list on Instagram
Using the Best Friends feature brings with it Multiple benefits both on a personal level and in terms of social interaction on the platform:
- advanced privacy: Control who sees your most personal content without having to make your account private or restrict followers. This way, you can share intimate or exclusive moments with a small group.
- Audience Personalization: Segment your posts and show Stories or Reels only to those you choose. This feature is ideal for separating your public and private lives or for sharing specific content with friends or family.
- full flexibility: You can modify your list at any time, adding or removing people easily and discreetly, without anyone receiving notifications or messages about the changes you make.
- Creative freedom: It allows you to experiment with more fun, informal, or spontaneous content, without worrying about the opinion of the general public or your professional or work followers.
- Share stories, reels, and exclusive content: With the integration of Reels, you can now leverage the feature for more dynamic, viral, or personal multimedia content.
How does privacy work in Best Friends?
One of the key aspects of the function is the how it protects privacy of the user and their close circle. When you add or remove someone from your Best Friends list:
- Nobody receives any notifications about the changes.
- Only you can see the full list of Best Friends; not even the members themselves can see who else is in that group.
- When you post an exclusive story or reel, those chosen will see a green ring around your profile picture in the stories tray, identifying content reserved for this group, and sometimes a “Best Friends” tag on the content itself.
- The list can be edited at any time, easily and without leaving any trace that notifies the user of the addition or deletion.
This turns the Best Friends feature into a confidential method, safe and efficient to manage the visibility of your most personal posts.
Step by Step: How to Create and Set Up Your Best Friends List on Instagram
Setting up and maintaining your Best Friends list is a very intuitive and quick process. We'll explain in detail how to do it from the Instagram mobile app:
- Open the Instagram app from your mobile device and access your profile by tapping your photo at the bottom of the screen.
- Press the menu icon (the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner of your profile).
- Select option "Best friends" in the drop-down menu.
- A screen will open with two tabs: Suggestions y Your list:
- Under “Suggestions,” you’ll see users Instagram considers relevant to add.
- In “Your List” you can view and manage the people who are already your Best Friends.
- Add or remove users whichever you prefer. Just tap the “Add” button next to the desired contact, or “Remove” to remove them from the list.
- When you're done customizing your list, tap "Done" To save the changes.
You can update your list as many times as you like, at any time. New contacts will be able to see your Stories and Reels posted in the last 24 hours, even if they weren't part of the list from the start.
How to add people to your Best Friends list?
To get started with the feature and customize your exclusive circle, follow this process:
- Open Instagram and access your profile.
- From the menu (three lines), select “Best Friends.”
- Under “Suggestions,” tap “Add” next to the people you want to include.
- At any time, you can check the “Your List” tab to see who is already part of your special circle and remove anyone you want.
You can add any contact that follows your account, although it is not recommended to add users who are not followers, as they probably won't see your posts.
How to remove people from the Best Friends list?
Removing someone from your list is just as easy and discreet as adding them:
- Open the “Best Friends” section in your profile menu.
- In the “Your List” tab, locate the user you want to delete.
- Tap the “Delete” button next to their name.
- Repeat the process with as many people as you want to remove.
Remember Instagram never sends notifications when you remove or add someone from the list, so your contacts won't know if they've been removed or added unless they deduce it by other means.
How to post exclusive stories and reels for Best Friends?
Once you've created your custom list, posting exclusive content is easy:
- Create a new story or reel as you normally would on Instagram.
- Edit, add effects, music, or stickers to your content.
- On the pre-share screen, you will see the option "Best friends" next to the “Your Story” option.
- Select “Best Friends” and post the content.
Only users on your list will be able to view this content. Your other followers won't have access to it or even know it's been posted.
When you post for Best Friends, your profile will be highlighted with a green circle for those selected. Additionally, a small tag with the word "Best Friends" usually appears on the story or reel to identify the content as exclusive.
How do you know if you're on someone's Best Friends list?
For privacy reasons and to prevent potential conflicts or misunderstandings, Instagram doesn't let you know directly if you're on another user's Best Friends list.However, there are visual details that can give you a clue:
- When a story is exclusive to Best Friends, you'll see a green circle around the profile picture of the user who publishes it in the stories tray.
- When you open the story, it usually appears a green “Best Friends” tag in the top corner.
If you see these indicators, it's because that user has included you in their exclusive circle. You should keep in mind that Best Friend stories can be alternated with normal stories, so you may only see the green circle sometimes.
There's no other way, app, or method to find out if you've been added or removed from someone's Best Friends list, and Instagram takes special care to ensure the privacy of all users.
Tips for making the most of Instagram's Best Friends feature
- Update your list regularly to keep it relevant and aligned with your current interests or changes in your relationships.
- Take advantage of privacy to share unique moments, inside jokes, important announcements, or more personal content without worrying about public exposure.
- Segment your audience If you have friends, family, and coworkers as followers: avoid mixing professional and personal content.
- Remember the new members of the list You'll be able to see Stories and Reels posted for Best Friends in the last 24 hours, even if they were added after they were posted.
- Use the feature in Reels to share more creative videos, memes, or viral trends with just your trusted circle.
What's New: Best Friends and Instagram Reels
Instagram has expanded the Best Friends feature to the format Reels. Now, in addition to stories, you can share exclusive reels for this groupThe process is identical to that for Stories, selecting “Best Friends” at the time of posting.
This integration with Reels allows you to enjoy:
- Viral content only for a select group, such as memes, short videos, behind-the-scenes moments, or personal vlogs.
- Tests and experiments with new video styles or trends before publishing them to your entire audience.
- Greater control over your public image If you are a content creator, influencer, or simply prefer to separate your audience.
Also, you can Update your Best Friends list at any time without limits or notifications, allowing you to always have control over who you share your private reels with.
Errors, frequently asked questions and good practices
- Can best friends see if they're on the list? Aside from visual indicators on received Stories and Reels, users have no way to view the list and will not receive any notifications.
- Is there a limit to the number of people on the list? Instagram doesn't have a strict limit; you can add as many users as you want.
- Can regular posts only be shared with Best Friends? Currently, the option is only enabled for Stories and Reels.
- How do I know if I was deleted? There's no way to know unless you stop seeing stories with the green circle or the "Best Friends" label.
- Can I add someone who doesn't follow me? Yes, but it's not recommended, as they probably won't see your stories unless they choose to follow you.
The Best Friends feature on Instagram is presented as a essential tool for managing privacy and the personalization of your posts on the social network. It allows you to create a select and dynamic circle, where you can share exclusive content with complete control and confidence. Thanks to its integration with Stories and Reels, you can adapt your digital presence to your needs and those of your environment, combining fun, closeness, and protection of your privacy.
