The wait is finally over—Instagram Music has launched in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the rest of the Middle East.
Not only do those in the region get to actually use the feature, which allows you to add your favourite songs to stories on Instagram or Facebook, but most importantly, no longer will your friends in other countries fill your feed with stories that are blocked by the notification that “Instagram Music is not available in your region”—a daily annoyance for many people in the region.
To use it, simply click on the sticker icon at the top of your story, then click “MUSIC” between “GIF” and the clock options.
From there, you can search for the song that you most want to add, or add from preselected songs that are auto-generated, or click “browse” in order to check playlists such as “Weekend” or “Bright”, or based on genre such as “Pop” and “R&B”.
Selecting a song will not only allow you to pick a section that plays, but also have lyrics auto-generated on screen—much as you can see in the image above.
You can add this on top of photos or videos, or record a video with the song playing in the background.
We’re looking forward to having fun with it, but man—it feels great to no longer be missing out on the content friends are making all around the world. Instagram Music first launched in the US in 2018, which at this point feels like an eternity of blocked stories.
Hopefully there’s someone else out there without the feature you can make jealous, before they can one day too be on another love…
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