Instagram has a habit of stealing other apps’ features and, in the process, making them mainstream. When Snapchat rolled out stories, Instagram did the same, and, arguably, better. When TikTok took over the world, Instagram launched “Reels,” and managed to get millions (if not billions) of users addicted to short-form video. Now, Instagram is targeting Snapchat once again, taking “inspiration” from the app’s most iconic feature: disappearing photos.
Instagram’s Instants are a bit dangerous
Credit: Instagram
On Wednesday, Instagram announced Instants, which the company calls “a new way to share in the moment.” Instants are photos you can share with your friends that disappear after you open them. (Sounds familiar.) While your friends won’t be able to save them, they can react and reply to your Instants, both of which go to your DMs. Any Instants you share don’t disappear from your account, however: Instagram says your captures remain in an archive for up to one year, which you can reshare to your stories if you wish.
None of this is groundbreaking, of course. Anyone who has used Snapchat is familiar with the process here. What is unique about Instagram’s approach, however, is who you send Instants to. Rather than choose individual contacts and groups to share these ephemeral images with, Instagram presents two options: Close Friends (the list of Instagram users you have designated as such), and mutuals (followers you follow back). The latter is simply called “Friends” in the app, and is the first choice Instagram presents when inviting you to send an Instant—which means it’s way too easy to accidentally send an Instant to literally everyone you follow that also follows you back.
If you’re a public, outgoing Instagram user, this might not sound like a bad thing. But I imagine the rest of us out there don’t necessarily want to blast each and every one of our mutuals with a casual Snap-like photo. (I know I don’t.) As such, if you’re going to try Instants, make sure you know where your pics are going before you hit send.
How to try Instants on Instagram
Instants live in your DMs, but in an awkward spot. You’ll find it in the bottom right corner, in a tab that pops out from the screen. When you tap it, you’ll be able to see any Instants that were sent to you. If you don’t have any, you’ll simply launch the Instants camera interface. The most important element here is at the bottom: By default, you’ll see “Friends,” which means your Instant will go out to all your mutuals. If you want to switch to Close Friends, tap “Friends,” then tap “Close Friends.” Instagram gives you the option to quickly edit your Close Friends list here if you want to make any changes, including clearing the whole list, but note that any changes you make here are immediate. I accidentally cleared my entire Close Friends list because I thought I was deselecting the contacts that were suggested.
What do you think so far?
Taking the photo itself is pretty straightforward, but dangerous: You can choose whether to use the front or back camera, or whether or not to use flash. If you want to add a caption, tap the viewfinder to pull up the keyboard. (You add captions before taking the photo here.) You’ll also find the Archive in the top right if you want to review any previous Instants you’ve taken. Once you capture the photo, however, you only have a few seconds to hit “Undo” before it sends to whichever friends list you have selected, so be careful. If you’d prefer a dedicated Instants experience, Instagram actually made an app for the feature for both iOS and Android.
How to dismiss Instants
You can’t get rid of Instagram Instants, but you can “snooze” it. Back in the DMs window, you can swipe on the Instants UI to push it back into the side of the screen. It’ll disappear, but you can bring it back at any time by swiping left on that edge of the display.
