Instagram expands hidden likes test worldwide

Instagram started hiding the total number of likes on posts for some people in the US this week as part of a broader test. It made like and video view counters private in other countries over the last few months, and now it's ready to expand the test elsewhere.

The Facebook-owned service said it's rolling out the test worldwide. If you're included in the trial, you won't see like and view numbers on other people's posts, but you can still see them for your own photos and videos. Instagram reckons this places a greater focus on what you're actually posting, and less on how many likes you're getting.

Instagram previously removed the counters for people in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand in early testing. It said that while feedback had been positive, it's a critical change to how Instagram functions, so it's "continuing our test to learn more from our global community."

It also noted like and view counts are important to some people (for instance, influencers who are negotiating sponsorship deals). With that in mind, Instagram's "actively thinking through ways for creators to communicate value to their partners."