Instagram is testing a new text-only feature for Stories, called Type

Aside from quietly rolling out a new online status feature in Direct that will be great for stalkers, Instagram has reportedly been working on a text-only capability for Stories, called Type.

It looks and behaves much like a similar text-only status on Facebook. Type shows up as another option at the bottom of the Stories camera, next to Boomerang and Rewind.

This new feature is currently limited to a subset of Instagram users ahead of a wider rollout in the future so don’t panic if you don’t see Type just yet in your Stories camera.

When creating a text-only post, you basically type a message and choose from several large fonts. From there, the app automatically selects a plain background or gradient.

The Next Web shared a video today showing Type in action.

You can even take your own photo to use as a background for any Type post.

If so, Instagram will give you a chance to pretty up the photograph with its built-in creative tools, just like you would any other image—for example, by adding one or more stickers. The app will apply a filter on any custom image in order to better emphasize your text.

The following fonts are available from the top center of the screen: Modern, Neon, Typewriter and Strong. Some come with additional formatting options, like the Strong font which provides a formatting icon in the upper-left corner to highlight the text.

The Typewriter font, on the other hand, tweaks the icon’s behavior to cycle through left, middle and right alignments, as evidenced by the screenshot below. As mentioned before, Type provides randomly generated background gradients that can be easily cycled through by tapping the icon near the lower-left corner of the interface.

You can mention Instagram users in your Type posts and they may repost it for 24 hours.

When you’ve finished editing your Type, you can save it as an image to your iPhone’s Camera roll, publish it as a Story or send it to someone through Instagram Direct.

They’re still testing Type so things may change before it sees a global rollout. Depending on beta feedback, the company may ultimately choose not to release this feature at all.

Do you plan on using Type when it becomes available for everyone?

Let us know in the comments!