Instagram is Killing the Elusive Swipe-Up Feature

Instagram on Tuesday said that its elusive swipe-up of feature, enjoyed only by users that are verified or have at least 10,000 followers, will be retired and replaced by link stickers, The Verge reported.

The Facebook-owned platform said tappable stickers in stories that will still take people to external websites will offer its users better creation experience, as their look can come in many formats and users can reply to the specific story, which are features the swipe up does not have. 

Only the Instagram elite with at least 10,000 followers will get the link stickers in place of the swipe up feature, Instagram said. It had been tested as early as June and could be rolled out to an even wider audience.

Since its release in 2016, the swipe up feature became popular enough to become an internet lexicon of its own alongside "swipe right" and "swipe left" of online dating culture.