Drawing on the spirit of Snapchat, Instagram Stories has become one of the most entertaining parts of the app. Traditionally, Instagram had some credibility when it came to the way people promoted themselves.
And “Instagram Life” is a phrase that describes something a bit far from reality. On the other hand, stories are more in the moment. A chance to be funny and spontaneous. They’re only 15 seconds long, but you can do it an unlimited number of times. Sometimes if you need to fast forward a few!
Instagram Stories for Everyone
There’s no denying the convenience of an Instagram Story. When you open your Instagram app, they’re the first thing you see at the top of the screen. All the profile pictures of the people you follow and a small preview of what’s going on in today’s story. And that’s the thing, they’re only available 24 hours after they’re posted. This can create a real FOMO (fear of missing out) for some people, like behind the scenes of the new Marvel movie. It doesn’t matter that everything is still quite staged. Or wondering what your friend is doing. But then you realize they’ve created 20 Instagram Stories where their cats sleep in exactly two positions! Fast forward time! Here’s how to navigate Instagram Stories:
- To pause a story, all you have to do is tap and hold.
- To rewind a story, tap in the upper left corner of the screen (below the profile photo).
- Keep tapping the screen to fast forward through stories.
- To bypass a user’s entire profile, simply swipe left.
These are the basic tools for watching Instagram Stories. Usually, you can get past them relatively quickly. You’ll also watch all the content and stay there for only the stories you’re really interested in. And Instagram has you there, too. Because Instagram Stories’ profiles will be listed first. Very soon you will be reviewing the first few you normally watch and continuing. Unless you get very bored, so you can go through the whole list.
What about Instagram Live Stories?
Instagram has expanded on what features are available to users. Stories were a game changer, but Live Video Streams opened up even more possibilities. It’s a great way for people to directly connect and interact with their followers. If you have something specific on your mind you want to talk about, start a live stream and check out who’s there.
Often times, people with a lot of followers announce that they’re going to start an Instagram Live so people can make sure they’re there. Beauty gurus will talk about a product or show how to apply it. And Instagram life coaches will share valuable information. Still, some people will miss it. Therefore, you can share a replay of a Live stream in your stories.
These live streams can go on for much longer than 15 seconds. And when you see a shared replay, you can decide to watch it. But then you realize you want to fast forward and see where it goes or how it ends. This is what you should do:
- Open Instagram and go to the user’s home page.
- Tap the profile picture to start playback.
- After the response starts, touch and hold anywhere on the screen.
- With your finger still on the screen, drag your other finger to the right to fast forward the video.
- You will see the timestamp indicator displayed at the top of the screen. So you know how fast you are transmitting.
- Lift your finger from the screen to continue playing the replay.
If you fast forward the replay too far, you can always rewind. The process is exactly the same as normal fast forward, but you drag your other finger left instead of right. And for now, you can only do this on the Instagram mobile app. The web version still doesn’t support it.
Fast-forward to the Good Episode
This is what lies behind every fast forward action. It either gets to the good part or the very specific part you’re looking for. Watching loads of Instagram Stories can be incredibly fun, but no one has time for that. You have to be a little selective.
Otherwise, you’ve been scrolling Instagram for hours without realizing it, and panic begins to creep in. So fast forward and rewind, swipe and skip anything you want. You will still consume plenty of Instagram Stories.
Let us know what you think of the fast-paced Instagram stories in the comments section below.
