Photo by Tunahan Günkan on Unsplash
Instagram wants to help you clear out your DMs while still making sure you get the love from your followers/loved ones. The company has begun rolling out the option to send a private like on someone's Story post. Before this new feature was introduced, you could only react to Stories by either sending the creator a direct message or an emoji reaction. Either option would show up on their inbox, which can fill the inboxes of creators.
This new like option is a heart icon between the Send Message pill and airplane icon. When you send someone a Story like, the creator will see this in their viewer sheet. There will be a heart icon there for those who liked the Story. As with seeing who has viewed Stories, the Story likes will remain private to those who posted the Story.