Instagram's New Cowatching Feature Lets Friends Browse Posts While Video Chatting

Instagram is helping friends stay connected despite social distancing. The social media app just introduced several new features in response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, including a new cowatching capability that allows users to browse posts together in real time.

Here's how it works: start a new video chat by tapping the video icon in your direct message inbox. Once the chat is underway, simply tap the photo icon in the bottom right corner to view saved, recently liked, or other suggested photos and videos. Whichever you select will then appear on the screen for everyone else in the chat to enjoy!

The fun feature, which we expect will get plenty of use, comes in addition to a new "Stay Home" initiative that aggregates Instagram Stories tagged with the designated sticker, and allows users to see how others are responsibly practicing social distancing. Instagram is also making its donation sticker more widely available so users can promote nonprofit charities and organizations during this time.