Do you find that your Instagram feed gets clogged up with posts that you don’t always want to see? Maybe it’s an overzealous family member (we all have one!) or a brand that you love that just posts A LOT of content. Up until now, you really only had two options: either unfollow them or deal with their posts.

But this is 2018, and there’s a new solution: the mute button.

According to an announcement posted on May 22, Instagram is getting ready to unleash a new feature “over the coming weeks” that will allow you to hide the people in your feed that you don’t want to see anymore, making the content you see more customized to your preferences.  

To mute, find the account you want, tap the three dots in the upper right hand corner, and click “Mute.” From that screen, you’ll be given the option to mute their story, posts, or both.

Here are three things to know about Instagram’s “Mute” feature:

1. You can mute anyone and they won’t even know.

Many Instagram users—especially those who are promoting their brand—don’t want to blatantly unfollow accounts. When you unfollow someone, they are likely to unfollow you too, meaning you might experience a drop in followers after a serious unfollow-spree. With the new mute function, you can simply hide a user’s posts and they won’t even know you’re skipping out on their content.

2. You can go back to following any account whenever you want.

As easy as it is to mute someone, you can unmute them at any time. When someone is muted, you can still view their profile and like their photos. If they tag you in something or comment on one of your photos, you’ll still get a notification.

Once you’ve had a break, you can add an account back into your feed by going to their profile, tapping the three dots in the top right hand corner, and clicking “Unmute.”

3. Instagram isn’t the first platform to have this feature.

Facebook has been allowing users to “Unfollow” accounts for years—meaning you’re still friends with the person but they don’t appear in your news feed. Snapchat also offers a similar “Do Not Disturb” feature that allows you to hide specific stories. Both features—and Instagram’s “Mute” function—keep the hidden person on your friends list… so they don’t even have to know you’re getting annoyed with them.

Happy posting, Instagrammers!

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