Instagram has been found testing several upgrades to stories that include a layout mode, new boomerangs, and redesigned icons.
This test was discovered by reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong, whose track record for finding unreleased features is second-to-none.
In the screenshot Wong shared on Twitter you can see the new icons and several of the layout options.
Instagram is testing new Boomerang, new Layout mode for Stories, a new set of colorful icons for Story Camera modes and more!
I wrote an interactive blog about this list of Instagram unreleased features that I came across:https://t.co/jdCEHAIaOB pic.twitter.com/k9PGPRNnfn
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) August 15, 2019
Wong goes into more detail about each of these features on her blog which also contains more screenshots.
New Layout Mode
The new layout mode for stories works similar to Instagram’s Layouts app, which allows users to create photo collages and share them on their main feed.
Layouts for stories lets users create collages either by taking photos with the stories camera or uploading photos from their camera roll.
New Boomerangs
Instagram is testing new types of boomerangs, giving users 5 more options to choose from. Quite a step up from the current one-size-fits-all boomerang mode.
After recording a boomerang, users can set it to do different things at the end of each loop like pause or wiggle. There are also options to make the recording move faster and slower.
These features are just being tested at the moment, but given how far along in development they are it seems likely they will get an official release sooner than later.
