Instagram Launches ‘Instants’ for Disappearing Photos

Instagram has introduced a new feature called Instants, designed for sharing photos that disappear after being viewed. It works a bit like Snapchat, but with a key twist — you can only send unedited photos taken directly in the app.

The idea is to make sharing more natural and in-the-moment. You can’t upload images from your camera roll, and filters aren’t available. Instagram says this helps users share real-life moments as they happen.

Instants is easy to find in your inbox, where it appears as a stack of photos. Tap it to take a picture, add a caption, and send it to your Close Friends or mutual followers. Once viewed, the photo disappears after 24 hours. You can also undo a send before it’s opened, and screenshots are blocked.

Here’s how Instants works in practice:

• Photos must be taken in-app with no edits or filters.
• You can send them to Close Friends or mutual followers.
• Each photo can only be viewed once and expires after 24 hours.
• Friends can react or reply, but can’t take screenshots.

Photos you receive from others will appear in the same stack in your DMs. Like Stories, your own Instants are saved privately in an archive. You can later turn them into a Recap and share them as Stories if you want.

If the feature isn’t for you, you can mute it by pressing and holding the stack in your inbox and swiping right.

Instagram is also rolling Instants out to teen accounts, with added controls. Usage counts towards daily screen time limits, and parents will be notified if the app is downloaded. Notifications are muted overnight by default, from 10pm to 7am.

Instants is starting to roll out globally, although it’s not yet visible to everyone on iOS. A separate Instants app is also in testing, currently limited to select countries like Italy and Spain. Users can sign in with their Instagram account where it’s available.