Fresh off the announcement desk — in a move to offer a more raw, unfiltered media-sharing experience with friends and followers, Instagram is introducing Instants. Integrated within the Instagram app and also coming as a separate app in select countries, the feature lets people share casual photos with others that disappear after being viewed. Apart from viewing shared images, people can take certain actions, such as reacting to or replying to an Instant.

What features does Instagram Instant offer

What exactly is Instants and how does it work?

Instagram Instants is an entirely separate section within the Instagram app that sits at the bottom right corner of the Direct Messages (DM) page. Every Instant is clicked within a small square window and appears as it is to the viewer without any filters or edits, unlike other media sharing ways on the app, which utilise the entire screen real estate of the display. The recipient has 24 hours to view the Instant, after which it expires.Speaking of which, the recipient can be anyone in your Close Friends list or a follower who follows you back, ensuring only the people you know or recognise can engage with the Instant. Replying to an Instant carries forward the conversation to the person’s chat screen, while the user sending the Instant can view all the reactions received. Here’s a quick breakdown on the working of Instagram Instants:

Step 1: Go to Instagram’s DMs page and select the mini stack of photos at the bottom right corner.

Step 2: To capture and share an Instant, tap the Camera icon at the top right corner

Step 3: Before clicking an image, you can choose who to share your instants with – Close Friends or followers you follow back.

Step 4: Now tap the White shutter button when you’re ready to click an Instant. Every click shows up as a stack of photos in the recipient’s DM page. You can also react to one using the given set of emojis.

Step 5: To view an Instant shared by your friends, simply tap the stack of mini photos and swipe up one by one to go through the Instants. Remember, the Instants expire once you view them.

Archive – All the shared Instants are automatically saved in an ‘archive’ space once they expire, just like stories. Archived Instants are private to you, and only you can access them.

Recap – The archived Instants can be posted on stories by selecting the “Create recap” option within the archive section.

Undo – If you’ve accidentally shared an Instant, you can delete it before your friends see it.

Snooze – If you don’t wish to see the stack of mini photos in your DMs page, you can temporarily hide it by holding down the photos and swiping right to dismiss them.

Seperate app – In select countries like India, Instagram will offer a dedicated app for Instants that will allow people to quickly access the camera and share moments instantly with others.

Apart from that, Instants also has several privacy and security features in tow, such as carrying the same safety tools as other parts of the app, blocking the ability to take screenshots, and parental notification and control. The Instants feature has started rolling out globally, starting May 13th.

Instants is a smart move by Instagram that focuses on providing people with a portal to share real moments with others in a closed environment. This way, authenticity takes the top spot. Whether it succeeds or not, the message is clear: Instagram may have got a hint that people want to share raw media and moments with others amidst the professionally created content.