Instagram Now Shows Your Like & Comments To Friends — Here's How to Hide Your 'Liked' Reels

Meta's Instagram has rolled out a series of updates that could make your activity on the app more visible than ever-raising questions about user privacy. From exposing your liked Reels to tracking your location, here's what's changing and how to control it.

Your Likes and Comments Are No Longer Private
Instagram has introduced a new feature in India (with a potential global expansion) that allows friends to see the Reels you've liked and commented on in a dedicated "Friends" tab. The move has drawn criticism, as users worry about personal interactions becoming public without their consent.

How to Stay Private:

How to Hide Your Activity:

Go to Settings (three-line menu) → "Activity in Friends tab"

Tap "Who can see your likes and comments on Reels" → Select "No one"

Reposting Comes to Instagram (Like TikTok and X)

In a shift toward more shareable content, Instagram now lets users repost photos and videos-similar to retweets on X or shares on TikTok. These reposts will appear in followers' feeds and a new "Reposts" tab on profiles.

The feature, marked by a circular arrow icon, appears alongside like, comment, and share buttons. Meta says the goal is to boost engagement, but it also means your reposts could reach a wider audience.

Instagram Map Tracks Your Whereabouts (Like Snap Maps)

A new Instagram Map feature allows friends to see your location when you're using the app. Users can choose to share their whereabouts with all followers, Close Friends, or select accounts-but the setting can be turned off anytime in settings.

The changes are part of Meta's broader push to make Instagram more dynamic, but they also mean users should double-check their settings to maintain control over their digital footprint.