Instagram Launches Instants: An App For Sharing Disappearing Photos

Credit: Instagram

Meta, the owner of the photo-sharing platform Instagram, has decided to return to its roots—classic content sharing without the strings attached, influencers, or advertising. To achieve this, the developers have introduced a new app, “Instants,” which allows users to send disappearing photos to friends—viewable only once.

Instants take photos with a single tap, and they can’t be edited. You can’t upload a photo from your gallery either—you can only take it with your device’s camera and publish it immediately. You can add text to these photos, but it can’t be changed after publishing.

Unlike Instagram, which posts carefully curated and prepared content, Instants is designed for quick snapshots in real life. The platform’s concept is partially borrowed from services like Snapchat, Locket, and BeReal, which also emphasize authenticity and ensure content doesn’t become stale quickly. You can use the service either in the main Instagram app or in the separate Instants app, which is also available for both Google Android and Apple iOS.

Instants is currently available in two formats: as a standalone feature within Instagram* or in its own app of the same name. The latter is available for download on Android and iOS, but is limited to a limited number of countries (Spain and Italy). In the future, after testing is complete, the service will be launched globally, but no specific timeframe has been set.