Are the safe-zone numbers the same on iOS and Android?

Within roughly 1% of each other. The 14/72/14 rule is conservative enough to cover both. Some Android skins push the bottom CTA up by an additional 2%, so consider 16% the worst case.

Do Stories ads support text overlays?

You can compose text into the creative, but Meta's Studio also lets you add native text stickers. Native stickers are auto-placed in the bottom safe zone, so they don't help.

What about Reels-style swipe up?

Swipe up was retired for stickers in 2021. Today's Stories CTA is a tappable bar near the bottom. The simulator above reflects the current behavior.

Does the safe zone change for full-screen vertical video vs static image?

No. The UI overlays the same regions regardless of format. The simulator overlay is identical for both.

Instagram Stories Safe Zones

Instagram Stories ads run inside a sealed 9:16 slot. Unlike Feed, where the UI sits above and below your creative, Stories overlays UI directly on top of your visual. The progress bar and profile chip cover the top 14% of the canvas, and the swipe-up sticker, CTA button, and reply field eat the bottom 14%. That leaves a usable design region of roughly 72% of the vertical canvas.

Designers who build Stories the same way they build Feed inevitably lose product-shot real estate. A logo placed in the top-right "for branding" gets covered by the progress dots. A CTA button overlaid in the bottom third gets covered by the actual sticker CTA. The platform makes no effort to compose around your creative — it composes on top of it.

Worse, the sealed-slot nature of Stories means there is no scroll. The viewer has 5 to 15 seconds to absorb the message before the next ad rolls in. Type-heavy designs underperform on Stories because the viewer doesn't have time to read in detail.

Last verified Apr 15, 2026

Placement

Primary text62/125clips at 90

Headline22/40clips at 40

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Top 14% covers progress + profile. Bottom 14% covers your CTA.

Hero in the middle 72%

Red dashed = covered by platform UI

Verified 2026 safe zones

Field	Hard max	Visible before truncate	Warn at
Primary text	125	90	80
Headline	40	40	30

Source: https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide/instagram-stories · Last verified 2026-04-15.

The 14/72/14 rule

Build every Stories creative against the 14/72/14 vertical split: 14% sacrificial top, 72% usable middle, 14% sacrificial bottom. Anything you place in the sacrificial bands must survive being half-covered. Anything in the middle 72% is yours.

FAQ

Are the safe-zone numbers the same on iOS and Android?: Within roughly 1% of each other. The 14/72/14 rule is conservative enough to cover both. Some Android skins push the bottom CTA up by an additional 2%, so consider 16% the worst case.
Do Stories ads support text overlays?: You can compose text into the creative, but Meta's Studio also lets you add native text stickers. Native stickers are auto-placed in the bottom safe zone, so they don't help.
What about Reels-style swipe up?: Swipe up was retired for stickers in 2021. Today's Stories CTA is a tappable bar near the bottom. The simulator above reflects the current behavior.
Does the safe zone change for full-screen vertical video vs static image?: No. The UI overlays the same regions regardless of format. The simulator overlay is identical for both.