Meta is welcoming a new app to the family.
Instagram globally launched a new feature called “Instants” on Wednesday. You can find it by going to the direct messaging tab on the main Instagram app. It’s also rolling out a stand-alone app for the product in select countries, including the US.
Instants lets users share disappearing photos with their friends. These photos last 24 hours, can’t be viewed more than once, and you can’t see who viewed them. You also can’t screenshot them.
The app’s slogan, per the current app listing: “Real life, real quick.”
It’s basically a Frankenstein of social apps like Locket, BeReal, and, of course, Snapchat.
Users can take photos with the Instants camera and add text, but cannot edit the content further. They can then share that content with a limited audience, specifically mutual followers and close friends.
Those friends can then react with emojis or reply in a DM.
It’s intended to give Instagram users “a more casual, low-pressure way to connect with friends,” a Meta spokesperson said.
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The Instants app also lets users add a widget to their homescreen, which has been a hit among younger users for newer social apps like Airbuds and Locket.
Expanding Meta’s portfolio of social apps has become commonplace for the tech giant. Instagram has Threads and Edits under its umbrella, and Meta also has the AI-focused Meta AI app.
In April, Meta began rolling out the stand-alone Instants app in Italy and Spain.
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