Instagram has launched a new standalone app called Instants, giving users another way to share quick, everyday moments with friends.
The app is a separate platform for its existing feature of the same name, which functions similarly to Snapchat and BeReal, where photos disappear after they’ve been viewed. According to Instagram, Instants is designed to make sharing more spontaneous and casual.
Photo: Instagram
Instants as a feature can be found in the bottom-right corner of Instagram’s inbox. With Instants, users can snap a photo and automatically share it with either their close friends list or mutual followers.
Friends can react, reply, and send their own Instants back. Once viewed, the photo disappears, and screenshots are not allowed. Unlike Instagram Stories, users also won’t be able to see who viewed their post.
The Instants app allows quicker access to the feature. Opening the app immediately launches the camera, with a simple interface that only includes options to switch cameras or toggle the flash on and off.
Photo: Instagram
Users can revisit previous Instants via an icon in the top-right corner of the app, where they can choose to save or delete old posts.
In a video discussing the rollout, Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared that users in testing often used Instants to post “much more casual, much more authentic moments about their day.”
“We know this type of sharing of personal moments with friends is a core part of what makes Instagram Instagram,” he said. “But we also know a lot of people don’t share a lot [on] their profile grids anymore.”
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