Instagram has a new feature that lets you share an unedited photo dump with your pals that disappears once viewed. Yes, we have questions.
The Meta-owned social media platform announced Instants on Wednesday, a tool that lets you send a batch of snaps to Close Friends or mutual followers. You can’t edit the photos, which might throw some folks off, but you can add captions.
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Notably, Instants will disappear after being viewed or after 24 hours. In this capacity, the feature sounds exactly like Instagram’s existing disappearing messages, as well as similar options on Snapchat, Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp. Plus, there’s an undo button if you want to take back a sent photo.
Credit: Instagram / Mashable
Instants will appear in your Instagram DMs inbox appearing like a pile of photos. Once you’ve sent a glut of Instants, the recipients can react with emoji, reply like a regular DM, or send their own collection of Instants, as you both throw mountains of unedited snaps back and forth until the comet finally hits. Recipients cannot screenshot the photos (more on that below), and your Instants will be saved in a folder only you can access — you can repost them from here to Stories.
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Now, for the important caveats.
Firstly, if you use a tool like disappearing messages, I cannot stress this enough but your recipient can always record the screen or take a photo with another device. Though Instagram’s Instants cannot be screenshotted, that doesn’t mean the person you’re sending the image to can’t capture it.
Secondly, Instagram monitors Close Friends content even if you think it’s some kind of incognito mode. It is not.
Next, all posts will need to comply with Instagram’s nudity guidelines, which run a fine line between protection and censorship. Something tells me this won’t be the last we talk about this when it comes to Instants.
Finally, Instagram has officially pulled end-to-end encryption on DMs, so the security of your Instants is under standard encryption.
Mashable has reached out to Instagram for comment.
