Instagram announces Instants, new feature to send expiring photos
Instagram has a new feature that lets you quickly snap pictures to share, which then disappear after a short period of time.
Meta announced the rollout of Instants on Wednesday, a new Instagram feature that gives users a casual, low-pressure way to connect with either Close Friends or mutual followers with one tap.
Instants will also be tested in select countries globally as a standalone app.
What to know about new Instants on Instagram
The new feature will appear in a user's direct message inbox, which looks like a pile of small photos, Meta said in a press release.
To capture an instant, users tap the pile of photos and take a quick picture. There are no further edits available, but people can add a caption.
To share the photo, users can share it with their Close Friends or mutual followers, which won't be available to view by anyone else.
Those who see the instant can send reactions, reply by DM, and share their own instants.
Recent instants, according to the company, will be saved in an archive that's private and only accessible to the user who takes it.
Instants can also be made and shared in a recap on Stories when users tap a button in the archive tab.
If you snap an instant you want to remove, there is an undo button that appears immediately after it's sent that will promptly take it back before anyone sees it.
Instants will all disappear once they've been seen, cannot be screenshotted and expire after 24 hours.
