Today, we’re introducing Instants, a new way to share photos in the moment with your Close Friends or mutual followers with just a tap. Photos you share on Instants disappear after they’ve been viewed and can’t be viewed after 24 hours. You also can’t edit your instants before sharing, so you can share authentic moments as they’re happening.
How It Works
You can capture an instant by tapping the mini pile of photos at the bottom right corner of your Instagram inbox or by opening the Instants app. From there, snap a photo in real time — no uploads from your phone’s photo gallery. You can also add a caption to your photo, but can’t make any further edits to it.
Next, choose who you want to share your Instant with — your Close Friends or followers that you follow back. Recipients can react with emojis, reply, and send instants back to you. The instants you share will show up as a pile of photos in your friends’ inboxes and disappear once they’re viewed.
The Instants app, rolling out in select countries on iOS and Android, gives you immediate access to the Instants camera — just log in with your Instagram account to get started. Instants work the same across both apps, meaning instants shared via the app will reach your friends seeing them on Instagram, too.
