Instagram Introduces Lock Screen Widget for Faster Story Posting on iPhone

Instagram has quietly added a new lock screen widget to its iOS app, aimed at expediting the process of posting Stories on the platform. The Story Camera widget, occupying a 1×1 grid on the lock screen, directly opens the Instagram Story Camera, allowing users to quickly capture photos or videos and post them as Stories. While this feature enables swift posting, it restricts users from using the native iPhone camera app for higher-quality images. The new widget, rolled out last week, is expected to be available globally in the coming days and requires iOS 16 or higher.

The Story Camera widget, with a discreet rollout, garnered attention from users over the weekend, and its functionality was confirmed by several sources. Users can click on the widget to access the Story Camera interface, where they can instantly capture and post content or select images from their gallery. While sacrificing some image quality, this feature caters to users who prioritize quick story posting. Instagram is also reportedly working on the Friend Map feature, resembling Snap Map, allowing users to view the last active location of their friends on a map and share location data with notes.