Instagram Launches Instants Ephemeral Photo Feature

Instagram launched a new feature called Instants on Wednesday, introducing ephemeral photo sharing designed for spontaneous, unedited moments among friends. The rollout, which is global within the main Instagram app, follows testing with select users and aims to foster more casual interactions.

Instants appear as a photo stack icon in the bottom right corner of the Direct Messages inbox. Users capture a live photo using the in-app camera, add a simple caption if desired, and send it to Close Friends or mutual followers, defined as people they follow back. No filters, stickers, editing tools, or uploads from the camera roll are permitted, emphasizing authenticity. Recipients can view the photo once, react with emojis, or reply directly in DMs before it disappears. Instants remain available for 24 hours but cannot be screenshotted or recorded, according to Meta.

Senders retain access to a private archive of their Instants for up to one year. From this archive, users can compile photos into a recap video and share it as a standard Instagram Story. An undo option allows deletion before recipients open the photo. Recipients can snooze incoming Instants by holding the stack icon and...