Instagram has rebranded a little-known feature, and many users wish it hadn’t bothered. For some, they might not even notice the change, as the feature is semi-hidden away in the Messages section of the app.
The social media platform launched Shots last year, but it’s now called Instants, and at first glance, it seems like a mix between a Story and a direct message (DM). But those who have used Instants so far aren’t sold on it just yet.
“Instagram’s new Instants feature is awful,” wrote one person on X.
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“Instagram needs to stop trying to be everything at once,” said another user.
“First it was Notes in DMs, then came the music features in Stories, and now there’s Instants or whatever they’re calling it. If I wanted all these extra features, I’d still be on Facebook. It’s trying too hard. Stop it.”
“This new Instagram Instants update is evil. I just accidentally uploaded a photo of my laptop… and I couldn’t figure out how to delete it for five minutes,” added a third.
Not everyone was hating on the feature, with one person saying they loved using it, but just couldn’t keep up with the name changes.
Do you have a story? Email stew.perrie@yahooinc.com
How does Instagram’s Instants feature work?
If you look in the Messages or DM section of the app, you’ll notice a tiny grey icon on the right-hand side of the screen towards the bottom with a star in it.
If you tap that, it will load the phone’s camera and you can take a picture of whatever you want.
You can choose to send the image to your Close Friends or followers who follow you back.
The people who receive the photo can only view it once, and then it’s gone forever.
The new feature has divided users who have tried it out. Picture: Meta/Getty
They also can’t be viewed after 24 hours, so you’ll have to make sure your notifications are turned on.
Recipients can’t see who else you have sent the photo to.
But Instagram has warned people about what they use this feature for.
“Be kind and respectful. We review Instants against our community standards,” the app said in a message to users.
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So be very careful if you’re planning on shooting off spicy pictures to your followers, as they can report you if it goes against Meta’s policies.
There’s an icon on the bottom left that will take you to your archive of all the Instants you’ve shared.
You can view, download or delete your sent Instants from here.
If you’re sick of being on the receiving end of Instants, you can mute accounts whenever you want.
“Bear in mind that this won’t apply to other formats such as messages or stories,” Instagram added.
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