In November 2022, Instagram expanded its Close Friends feature, allowing users to share posts, Reels, Stories, and Notes exclusively with a select group of close friends. Now, the platform is set to introduce a new feature called “Flipside,” aimed at enhancing user privacy. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has announced that this feature is currently undergoing testing.
In a recent Thread post on January 29, Mosseri confirmed the testing of Flipside, although he indicated that its future on Instagram remains uncertain. He noted, “On one hand, it feels good to create a clear space that feels more private. On the other, it’s yet another way to reach a smaller audience on top of secondary accounts and Close Friends. We’ll see how people respond in the test, and iterate forward,” he wrote in response to user inquiries.
Social media consultant Matt Navarra shared a video demonstration of the Flipside feature on Threads, highlighting its capacity to enable users to maintain a private section of their Instagram profiles for sharing more intimate photos and videos with a chosen circle of friends. According to Navarra, this feature is gradually being introduced to select users for testing. He described Flipside as an effort to “essentially productise ‘finstas,'” a popular term for alternate personal accounts where users post authentic glimpses of their lives.
The initial development of Flipside was reported in December 2022 by developer Alessandro Paluzzi, who shared mockups on X. The images suggested that Flipside would create “a new space just for you and your friends,” where only selected individuals can view the shared content. Users can access a Flipside account by tapping a button or swiping downward on the main profile.
Like their main accounts, users will have the option to customize profile pictures and bios specifically for their Flipside, which will be visible only to a limited audience. The community guidelines governing Instagram will also apply to this new feature.
