A feature originally considered by Meta to metamorphose into a Twitter rival so as to benefit from the chaos ensuing Elon Musk’s taking over the latter, Notes has however been restricted, as we see, to a feature on Instagram.

The feature’s text-and-emoji-only nature is very similar to a tweet on Twitter. Both, as we find, have a limit on the number of characters that can be typed in, the limit being a maximum of 60 characters for Notes. What’s even more ironic, is that Instagram announced the feature with a tweet on Twitter saying “Tell them what’s really on your mind 💬”.

Whatever the business may be, the feature is here and here’s all that you need to know about it. (Keep reading for a gift at the end).

How do Notes work

As mentioned before, a Note can at max, be 60 characters long, and is in its nature limited to text and emojis; so, no pictures or videos. Once posted, a Note will disappear after 24 hours of being posted, unless you delete it, or post another Note for the same people, which replaces the older note.

Yes, that’s right, you can only post one Note at a time for the same people, and no, it can not be for one person only, unless you have only 1 person in your Close Friends list ;). The posted Note will be visible to your Close Friends list or followers you follow back, but only if they come across it in their inbox, for no notification is sent when a Note is posted.

When and if followers do reply to your Note, you will be notified, and the replies will arrive as a DMs.

How to: Post your own Notes

Whether you’re that goofy friend in for a laugh, someone seeking to start a conversation the subtle way, or a brand looking to communicate with your followers and get their eyes on you without putting in the effort of a story or a post, this feature is for you and here’s how you can use it:

Step 1: Launch the Instagram app.

Step 2: Hover to your inbox in the upper right corner.

Step 3: Select the “+ Leave a Note” box in the top left corner.

Step 4: Draft your thoughts, select who to share them with, then press Share to publish them.

How to: Delete your own Notes

If the person you wanted a reply from on your note has replied, or the Note is too shabby for it to exist and you’re asking yourself why you did what you did, I think it’d be nice for you to know that you can always delete it. Here’s how:

Step 1: Move to your inbox

Step 2: Click on the Note you want to delete

Step 3: Click delete note

Be very sure of your decision, however, for Instagram Notes do not have a draft-saving ability, so once you delete your note, it’s basically dead. Unless you can type the same thing in again, of course.

Is the feature for both iOS and Android?

Yes, the company confirmed to TechCrunch that Notes will be available for both iOS and Android Instagram users.

Aw! You came all the way to the end. Here’s your gift.

The real deal is that Notes can really get up your nose, so here’s how you can just mute them. Long press on the note, and select ‘Mute notes’ and voilà! It’s gone. You’re welcome.