Instagram Rolls Out 24-Hour Instants Globally as It Tests a Separate App
Updated
Updated · The Verge · May 13
Instagram Rolls Out 24-Hour Instants Globally as It Tests a Separate App
7 articles · Updated · The Verge · May 13
Wednesday’s launch puts Instants into Instagram’s DM inbox worldwide, letting users send unedited disappearing photos to Close Friends or mutual followers.
Photos vanish after one view or after 24 hours, block screenshots and screen recordings, and still allow emoji reactions and DM replies.
Instagram keeps each Instant in a private archive for up to 1 year, while users can unsend a post immediately, delete it later, or reshare it as a Stories recap.
A separate Instants app, already tested in Italy and Spain since April, is now expanding in select countries to give faster camera access while syncing with Instagram.
Instagram says testing showed people use Instants for more casual, authentic sharing, as it tries to recapture behavior popularized by Snapchat and BeReal.
How can Meta monetize the 'unfiltered' Instants without destroying the very authenticity it promises to its users?
Amidst clone fatigue and BeReal's decline, can Meta's Instants genuinely revive spontaneous sharing or is it doomed to fail?