Instagram is embracing the season of love by launching a collection of new Valentine’s Day-themed features. Rolling out this week, these updates add a festive touch to Direct Messages, Stories, and Notes, giving users fun new ways to celebrate with friends, partners, and followers. The features range from animated effects and custom fonts to interactive stickers designed to boost engagement.
New Ways to Customize Your Stories
Instagram Stories are getting a significant Valentine’s makeover with several creative tools. Users can now access new themed fonts and text effects, which are filled with pinks, reds, and heart motifs. When you tag a friend in your Story, a special custom display will appear.
To further encourage interaction, Instagram is highlighting new creator-submitted Stories templates. These templates provide ready-made formats for Q&As, polls, and photo collages, making it easy to share holiday-themed content with your followers.
A standout addition is the Vinyl Music Sticker. This feature allows you to add a song to your Story with a sticker that looks like a vinyl record. For a unique touch, iOS users can “scratch” the record to reveal a special heart effect, adding a nostalgic and interactive element to music sharing.
Making Your DMs More Festive and Personal
Direct Messages are also getting a dose of romance with several new customization options. You can now change your chat’s appearance with new themes to set the perfect mood for your conversations. These themes change the background and message colors to match the Valentine’s aesthetic.
The new chat themes available are:
- Love: A classic theme featuring bold reds and heart patterns.
- Sweetheart: A softer option with pastel colors for a cozy vibe.
- Candy Hearts: A playful theme inspired by the iconic Valentine’s candy.
Beyond static themes, Instagram is also adding animated effects to messages. Before sending a DM with a Valentine’s-related word, you can tap the magnifying glass icon to apply a themed animation, creating a fun surprise for the recipient.
A Subtle Glow-Up for Instagram Notes
The Notes feature, which appears at the top of the inbox, has not been left out. Instagram has added a subtle but cute effect to make the section more festive.
When users include specific romantic keywords in their Notes, a special themed effect will automatically wrap around the message. Words like “ily,” “vday,” and “pookie” will trigger the new animation, offering a low-key way to share the Valentine’s spirit or send a coded message to a secret admirer.
More Than Just a Holiday Gimmick
While the pink and red hearts might feel like a temporary holiday trend, some of the updates are here to stay. The feature allowing users to assign custom nicknames to friends in their DMs will remain available even after Valentine’s Day passes.
Ultimately, these updates are designed to make interactions on the platform more engaging and fun. Whether you’re a true romantic or just enjoy a good aesthetic, Instagram’s new features provide a lighthearted way to connect with others during the holiday.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get the new Valentine’s Day features on Instagram?
These features are rolling out to users this week. Make sure your Instagram app is updated to the latest version, and the new options should appear automatically in your Stories, DMs, and Notes sections.
Are the new Instagram chat themes permanent?
The Valentine’s Day-themed chat themes like Love and Candy Hearts are seasonal and may be removed after the holiday period. However, Instagram frequently introduces new themes, so there will always be options to customize your chats.
Why can’t I see the heart effect on the Vinyl Music Sticker?
The special heart effect, which appears when you “scratch” the vinyl record sticker, is currently an exclusive feature for iOS users. Android users can still use the Vinyl Music Sticker but will not see this specific animation.
What words trigger the special effect in Instagram Notes?
Instagram has enabled several Valentine’s-related words and abbreviations to trigger the new animation in Notes. Some of the known keywords include “vday,” “ily,” and “pookie.”
