How Close Friends Live Works on Instagram (and What It Does Not Do Yet)

Instagram now lets you go live exclusively for your Close Friends list. This changes how Live works in a meaningful way. Instead of broadcasting to all followers, you can limit the audience to a curated group. Here is how the feature works in practice, what notifications are sent, and where the current limitations are.

How to start a Close Friends Live

The setup is similar to a regular Live. Open the Instagram camera, swipe to the Live option, and look for the audience selector before you tap the broadcast button. You will see an option to switch from "Public" to "Close Friends." Once selected, only people on your Close Friends list can join or view the stream.

You manage your Close Friends list separately, through your profile settings. Anyone you have added to that list is eligible to see the broadcast. There is no way to create a one-off subgroup for a single Live session. It is all or nothing based on your existing Close Friends list.

Who sees what

When you start a Close Friends Live, only the people on your list receive a notification. Your other followers will not see the Live indicator on your profile picture in the Stories tray. The green "Live" ring that normally appears is replaced by the green Close Friends ring, which is only visible to list members.

Viewers who are on the list will see the stream appear in their Stories tray as usual. If they miss the notification, they can still join while the broadcast is active, provided they check the app in time.

People not on the list cannot discover or access the stream. There is no public trace of a Close Friends Live in your feed or on your profile grid.

Notification behavior

Instagram sends push notifications to Close Friends list members when the Live begins, assuming those users have Live notifications enabled. This mirrors the behavior of regular Lives, but scoped to the smaller audience. As HeyOrca's coverage of recent Instagram updates notes, the Close Friends Live feature is part of a broader set of changes Instagram has made to give creators more control over audience targeting.

There is no advance scheduling notification. You cannot alert your Close Friends ahead of time through the Live system itself. If you want people to know you are going live at a specific time, you need to communicate that separately, such as through a Story or direct message.

Current limitations

Close Friends Live is a first-generation feature, and several things you might expect are not available yet.

No replays: As of now, Close Friends Lives do not generate a replay that persists on your profile. Once the broadcast ends, it is gone. This is different from regular Lives, which can be shared to IGTV or saved. If you want to preserve the content, you need to screen record on your own device.

No co-hosting or guests: The "Add a Guest" feature that works with regular Lives is not supported in Close Friends mode. You cannot invite another user into the broadcast. This limits the format to solo streams only.

No cross-posting: You cannot simulcast a Close Friends Live to Facebook or any other platform. The stream is confined to Instagram.

No analytics breakdown. Instagram does not currently provide separate Insights for Close Friends Lives. You can see viewer count during the stream, but there is no post-broadcast analytics panel specific to this format.

Audience size constraints: Your Close Friends list itself is limited. Instagram does not publicly disclose the maximum size, but reports indicate it caps at a few hundred people. As EmbedSocial's roundup of new Instagram features for 2026 details, Instagram has been expanding Close Friends functionality across multiple surfaces, but the list size limit remains a practical constraint for accounts with larger audiences.

What this means in practice

Close Friends Live is useful for small, trusted audiences. Think beta testers, VIP customers, internal teams, or tight-knit creator communities. It is not yet a replacement for any broadcast scenario that requires reach, replays, or multi-host formats.

If your workflow depends on saving Lives, analyzing viewer data, or co-streaming, the regular Live format is still the better option. Close Friends Live is a privacy tool first and a content tool second.

FAQ

Can someone on my Close Friends list screenshot or record the Live? Yes. Instagram does not send screenshot or screen recording notifications for Close Friends Lives. There is no technical barrier preventing someone from capturing the stream.

Can I change my Close Friends list while a Live is in progress? You can edit the list at any time, but changes may not take effect mid-stream. If you remove someone during a broadcast, they may still be able to watch until the session ends.

Will Close Friends Lives get replay support in the future? Instagram has not confirmed this. Given the trajectory of Close Friends features expanding across Stories, Reels, and now Live, replay support is plausible but not guaranteed.

Does Close Friends Live work with a business or creator account? Close Friends features have historically been limited to personal accounts. Availability on business and creator accounts may vary by region and rollout phase. Check your account settings to confirm access.