Instagram launches Instants app globally, lets you share photos like Snapchat

Meta-owned popular social media app Instagram is rolling out Instants. A feature that can be accessed through both the Instagram app or the standalone Instants app itself. It aims to provide more raw experience to users than the conventional polished content of Instagram.

In Short

• Instagram launching Instant
• It will allow users to send quick photos like Snapchat that disappear after 24 hours
• The feature is rolling out globally

Instagram is officially rolling out “Instants,” its new disappearing photo-sharing feature, globally after testing it in select markets. The feature is designed to make sharing feel more casual, allowing users to send quick photos that disappear after being viewed and can no longer be accessed after 24 hours.

The launch shows Instagram continuing its shift toward more private and real-time social interactions. Over the years, the platform has become heavily focused on polished content, influencers, and short-form videos. But with Instants, Instagram appears to be trying to bring back the feeling of sharing small everyday moments with close friends.

How Instants works

Instants can be accessed either through the main Instagram app or through a separate Instants app that opens directly to the camera. Users can take a photo in real time and share it with either their Close Friends list or followers that they follow back.

There are a few limitations — and that is intentional. Users cannot upload photos from their gallery or edit images before sending them. They can only add a caption, making the feature feel more raw and authentic compared to the highly edited posts usually seen on Instagram.

Once shared, Instants appear as a small stack of photos inside users’ inboxes. Friends can react with emojis, reply, or send their own Instant back. Instagram also says recipients cannot screenshot or screen record the shared photos.

The company has also added features like Undo, which lets users unsend an Instant before it is opened, and Snooze, which temporarily stops incoming Instants notifications.

Instagram’s answer to Snapchat and BeReal

The feature clearly takes inspiration from apps like Snapchat, BeReal, and Locket Widget, all of which built popularity around temporary and less curated content. Instagram’s Stories feature itself was widely seen as a response to Snapchat years ago, and Instants feels like the company’s latest attempt to adapt another trend into its ecosystem.

However, Instagram is adding its own twist. Shared Instants are stored in a private archive for up to one year, allowing users to later turn them into Story recaps. The company is also integrating the feature with its existing teen safety systems, including Family Centre controls, shared screen-time limits, and Sleep Mode restrictions.

Still, whether Instants becomes widely popular remains to be seen. Many users already use Stories for quick updates, while apps like BeReal have lost some momentum compared to their peak popularity. Even so, the launch suggests Instagram believes there is still demand for more authentic, low-pressure ways to share online.

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