Instagram Launches 'Instants,' a New Ephemeral Photo Feature Mimicking Snapchat and BeReal

Instagram has globally launched a new photo-sharing feature called 'Instants,' designed to facilitate more casual and authentic social interactions. This update allows users to share uneditable, ephemeral photos that disappear after being viewed by recipients or after 24 hours. The feature restricts sharing to close friends or mutual followers, aiming to replicate the intimate sharing dynamics found in competitors like Snapchat and BeReal. Instants are accessible directly within the Instagram app's direct message inbox and are also being tested as a standalone mobile application in select countries, including Italy and Spain. While the photos vanish for viewers, they are archived for the sender for up to one year, with options to reshare them to Stories or delete them. Instagram prohibits screenshots and screen recordings to maintain privacy. According to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, internal testing indicates that users prefer Instants for sharing genuine, everyday moments, addressing a trend where users post less frequently to their main profile grids. This launch represents Instagram's continued strategy of integrating successful features from rival platforms to enhance user engagement and retain relevance in the evolving social media landscape.