Instagram has launched a new feature called Instants, designed for spontaneous photo sharing and available in both the main Instagram app and a new dedicated app also named Instants. This feature allows users to share photos that disappear after being viewed by friends, while still remaining available in their archive for up to a year, where they can later be compiled into stories.
Users can access Instants through their direct message inbox by tapping the photo stack in the bottom right corner of the main app. Photos shared via Instants can only be modified with a caption; editing tools or filters are not available, and users cannot upload images from their camera roll.
Sharing options include sending Instants to either close friends or mutual followers. An undo button allows users a moment to retract an Instant before it is seen by others. To manage friends’ Instants, users can snooze them by holding the icon in their inbox and swiping right, and swiping left restores visibility.
Instagram has been testing the dedicated Instants app in select countries for iOS and Android. The company noted, “We’ve been testing Instants for a while, and one thing we heard was that people wanted a quicker, easier way to get into the camera,” acknowledging user feedback regarding the complexity of the main app.
The Instants feature adheres to Instagram’s existing safety and privacy measures. This includes blocking and muting users, as well as applying parental supervision for teen accounts automatically. Notifications will alert parents if a teen with a supervised account downloads the Instants app. Features such as screen recording restrictions and shared time limits also remain in place.
This introduction is not Instagram’s first attempt to compete with ephemeral-photo platforms like Snapchat and BeReal. In 2014, the company launched the Bolt app for quick photo sharing, and in 2020, it released Candid Stories, resembling features of BeReal.
