PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

New Instagram Feature Lets You Add Music to Stories

To try it out, start creating a story like usual, then press the smiley face button at the top of the screen (the same one you'd tap to add a sticker). From there, you should see a new music icon; tap that to 'open a library of thousands of songs' from which you can choose.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

Instagram stories are about to get a lot more musical.

The Facebook-owned social media app just launched a new feature as part of Instagram version 51 that lets you easily add a soundtrack to your story.

"Instagram Stories is now used by 400 million every day, and we're excited to give our community new ways to feel closer to their friends and followers," Instagram wrote in a blog post.

To try it out, start creating a story like usual, then press the smiley face button at the top of the screen (the same one you'd tap to add a sticker). From there, you should see a new music icon; tap that to "open a library of thousands of songs" from which you can choose.

"You can search for a specific song, browse by mood, genre or what's popular and tap the play button to hear a preview," Instagram wrote. "When you've selected your song, you can fast-forward and rewind through the track to choose the exact part that fits your story."

When your friends and followers view your story, they'll hear the track playing in the background and see a sticker showing the song title and artist name.

On iOS, Instagram is also adding a new "Music" option under the record button (next to Boomerang, Superzoom, etc) that will let you select a song before capturing a video. With this option you can "search for a song, select the exact part you want, and record a video as the song plays in the background," Instagram wrote. The company plans to expand this feature to Android at some point "soon."

Meanwhile, Facebook recently introduced a feature called Lip Sync Live that "lets you lip sync to songs from forever favorites ...to new hits" during live broadcasts.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

Read full bio