Instagram Launches 'Instants' for Real-Time Photo Sharing With Close Friends [Download]

Instagram has launched Instants, a new photo-sharing feature and standalone iOS app focused on real-time updates with close friends.



Available globally within the main Instagram application and as a separate download in select regions, Instants lets users snap and send unedited photos that disappear after they are viewed and can no longer be accessed after 24 hours. The feature is designed around spontaneous, unedited sharing among close friends and mutual followers.


Users can launch Instants from a new photo pile icon in the bottom right corner of their Instagram inbox or directly through the standalone app. Photos must be captured in real time and cannot be uploaded from an iPhone's camera roll, though users can add a caption before sending. Recipients can reply or react with emojis, and Meta says Instants cannot be screenshot or screen recorded. Senders also have an undo option to recall an image before it is opened, while a snooze function temporarily mutes incoming photos.



While photos vanish for recipients, senders retain access to a private archive of their captures for up to a year. From there, users can compile multiple shots into a recap and post it directly to their standard Instagram Stories feed.

The rollout also includes several protections for teens. Time spent in the Instants app counts toward existing Instagram daily limits, and Sleep Mode mutes notifications and restricts access between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. by default. Parents of supervised teens will also receive a notification when the standalone app is downloaded.

The added teen protections come as Meta continues facing scrutiny over the impact of social media on younger users. Just weeks ago, a Los Angeles jury ordered the company to pay millions in damages following a landmark social media addiction trial.


You can download the new app from the App Store at the link below.

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